When Opposites Attract
by megamatchmaker
Summary: American? Check. Awesome friends and family? Check. Witch? Double check. Anya Collins, 4th member to the Golden Trio. Draco Malfoy/OC story. Need I say more? Some slight swearing and possibly heavier moments later on, but that's not for a good while.
1. Year 1 Ch1

**_OK, so this is a new story that I am working on. It's pretty much your average Draco Malfoy/OC story; Muggleborn fourth member to the Golden Trio, American girl with plenty of attitude. Anya Collins is her name and she;s from New York City. One day she get's the letter that changes her life forever. This story will be a mix of things that happened in all 7 movies and books. There will be drama, horror, mystery, and of course romance! Can't be a megamatchmaker's story without romance! ;)_**

**_Of course, I own nothing from the actual Harry Potter series. J.K. Rowling has that privilege. But I do own Anya Collins and everything to do with her life back in the U.S._**

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><p><strong>Ch.<strong>** 1 The Letter & Truth**

No one would have expected something like this to happen, least of all little Anya Collins. Sitting up among the leaves and branches of the old oak tree in the backyard of her family's house just to say on the outskirts of New York City, this little girl had no idea that her life was about to take such a turn that would permanently change her life… for good and for worse.

"Anya!" her mother, Nicole, yelled from the open window in the kitchen. Dark violet eyes darted up from the book about a magical world they had been scanning over to the A-frame house that overlooked most of the city. "Breakfast is ready!"

"Coming Mom!" she shouted back as she tucked her book back into the little knapsack she always brought with her and climbed down the tree. Even with the early July summer breeze blowing her hair into her face, she was still able to safely find all the notches and crevices in the rough bark thanks to climbing up and down the tree so often.

"Hey there pumpkin! Happy birthday!" Rick Collins greeted as he picked up his daughter as she came running through the patio doorway. He felt the worn denim material of her bag brush against his arm and raised an eyebrow. "Up in the old tree again, were you?"

"You betcha!" Anya grinned as she kissed her father on the cheek. She knew that he was only teasing her. After all, he was the first person that ever brought her up in that tree when she was seven years old and ever since that day, she could always be found in it.

Anya was a lot like her father; adventure-seeking, courageous, and generous. Her mother was also just as adventurous as they were- though maybe not quite as extreme as her husband and daughter- and they would often spend most of their summer weekends up in the mountains for camping trips, exploring the area and searching for new things. But Anya received most of her looks from her mother's side of the family, from the dark auburn hair that shined with natural gold highlights down to the dimple in the left corner of her mouth that showed greatly when she smiled- which was quite often. The only physical qualities she gained from her dad were the rare color of his eyes and his button nose.

One thing that Anya was always happy about was that she was the luckiest girl on the planet. No, not because she had two wonderful parents that cared for her very much- although that just another good reason why. But the fact was that she really was just _lucky_.

First there was the swing accident back when she was five. Anya had been swinging far too high for someone her age to jump off of, but she had decided to do so anyway. Most little girls at that age would have had at least received cuts and bruises after jumping from that height if not also breaking at least two or three bones in their body. But instead Anya simply had got back up without even a single scrape anywhere on her person. When her parents found out, they only came to the conclusion that the thick, soft material of her clothes had been what had prevented their little girl from getting hurt at all.

Another time had been when she was around the age of eight. When she had lived more into the city, Anya had a neighbour a few houses down from her place whom had a very vicious German shepherd that was at least 2 ½ ft. tall on all fours alone. Well one day after school, Anya had to stay late so she had missed the bus and had to walk home. Now it wouldn't have been so bad since her house was only two blocks from school at the time with no busy streets to cross and it was the middle of the day- but she had to pass the German shepherd place. Now normally if any kid were to pass by the house the dog would start barking and chase after them until the chain he wore pulled him back, but the chain broke the same day and instead of the dog chasing her and threateningly snapping his teeth, he walked up to Anya calmly and began to lick her face. The only bad thing that came out of that was when the owner came by later that day and started spewing nonsense about how Anya did something to his dog.

And there was the previous year, when Anya began to lose her voice. Anya's biggest devotion was to anything involving the arts; singing, music, dancing, and even acting. Nothing gave her more joy than to do such things, and when she had heard that there was the possibility that she would never be able to do one of that she loved most was like a knife to the heart. The doctors had told her parents that there was the slight chance that the special medications they had given would help, but the chances were slim. After spending most of her night praying to every God she knew of, Anya woke up the very next day with her voice in mint condition. People would say she use to sound like the female singer from the group 'Aqua' and now sounded like the perfect mixture of Christina Aguilera's spunky personality, Mariah Carey's sweet voice, and Whitney Houston's powerful notes.

With all the strange things that happened to her all the time, Anya had a very difficult time making friends. Having Lucy Heller, aka Lucy-fer, the most popular girl of their age, disliking Anya- for even the most ridiculous reason- was not exactly helpful in Anya's case. The only people that she could actually trust other than her family were Irene and Emily Holt; two twins who acted like the sisters she never had. Anya even got along with their older brother Adam, who was the one who taught her how to play the guitar.

"OK you two," Nicole said as she placed the plate stacked with butter toast onto the table along with the rest of the food. "It's time to eat." Rick simply shrugged his shoulders and sat his daughter down in her chair before taking his own seat. "Happy birthday sweetie pie."

"Thanks Mom," Anya grinned as she sat down and began to load her plate.

Anya listened to her parents talked about the plans they had made for the day as she spread raspberry jelly onto her banana pancakes. They were going to the store to pick up some groceries before going to the park for a nice picnic and then go to the zoo. As they were planning out their route of the zoo when the sound of rusty bolts turning reached their ears as the mail was pushed through the slot in the door.

"I'll get it!" Anya said through a mouthful of pancake as she jumped out of her seat and dashed into the hallway.

There were three letters sitting on the smiley face doormat when Anya got there. One was a brown envelope with the bank's logo stamped in the corner. Another had the names of several fast food restaurants plastered across it, showing it to be some advertisement letter. And the last one… was addressed to _her._

It was a large envelope made of a heavy yellow parchment with an emerald green writing in a very elegant script. Anya was very surprised. She had hardly ever received any letters save for the ones that her aunt Danielle had sent those few times that she wasn't able to make it for Anya's birthday, but she had already sent it when she found out her husband Eric had to go to the hospital for another check-up on his blood levels. She turned the letter over in her hand to see a purple wax seal with a coat of arms; a lion, an eagle, a badger, and a snake all surrounding a 'H'.

"Anya? Sweetie, is everything alright?" she heard her mother ask her from the kitchen.

"Um… yeah. Yeah, everything's fine Mom," Anya answered as she walked back into the room. She handed the other two letters to her father as she sat down; hardly ever taking her eyes off the one she received. "Hey Mom, have you ever seen anything like this before?" she asked as she held the letter out to her mother, seal first. Nicole looked down at the seal, and Anya could have sworn that she saw something change in her parents' eyes, but it vanished as quickly as it appeared.

"Sorry sweetie, but no. Does it say who it's from?" When her daughter shook her head no, she gestured at the envelope. "Well maybe you should open it!" she said with an encouraging smile. Anya grinned in return and tore open the side before shaking the contents out onto the table, which were two papers. She unfolded the first one to see the same coat of arms on the top and began to read out loud.

_Hogwarts School_  
><em>of Witchcraft and Wizardry<em>

_Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore_  
><em>(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,<em>  
><em>Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)<em>

_Dear Ms. Collins,_

_We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment._  
><em>Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.<em>

_Yours sincerely,_

_Minerva McGonagall_  
><em>Deputy Headmistress<em>

The entire table grew silent as Anya finished reading. The young girl's eyes darted over the writing two more times silently before she started chuckling. It started very lightly, almost non-existent, before it exploded into a near roar of laughter. "OK, I'll admit it; that was really good. Now which one of you did this? Dad, right?"

"What are you talking about pumpkin?" he asked her.

"I'm talking about this joke you guys are trying to pull! I've got to say, it's very creative- especially the names. Very original! But I've gotta say, it's a little farfetched even for a prank," she explained. Anya knew her father had the tendency to pull practical jokes on his fellow employees, friends, and even his wife and daughter. So for him to be behind this sort of thing wouldn't have surprised her in the least.

"Anya honey," Nicole said softly as she looked her daughter in the eye. When Anya looked up, she saw that there was neither humour nor mischief in her mother's eye and the smile on her face slowly faded away. "This isn't a joke."

Anya looked back and forth between her parents and saw the honesty on their faces. "What are you talking about 'this isn't a joke'? It has to be a joke. I mean- I can't be a- a-" The word seemed to be lodged in her throat, unable to move either up or down. "I mean, that's impossible! Magic isn't real! It's just something people made up to put in stories and fairy tales!" She kept looking at her parents, hoping they would tell her it really was a joke, but the look on their faces told her otherwise. When she spoke next, it came out in hushed tone before turning harsh. "So… I really am a witch? And… and you two never even thought to tell me? What else should I know about myself? Are you even my parents?" The hurt and betrayal quickly built up to the point where tears started falling from her eyes.

"Honey…" Nicole said in a soothing manner, hoping to find some way to calmly explain this to her daughter. But when she reached her hand out to touch Anya's on the table, the girl snatched it away as though she had been burnt and jumped out her seat once more, this time knocking it down.

"Leave me alone!" Anya shouted as she ran upstairs to her room. For the first time, she was glad that her door had a dead bolt on the inside as she slammed it close before jumping onto her bed and burying her face into her pillow. She ignored the sound of her parents knocking on her door and grabbed the remote to her stereo, pressed 'play' and turned the volume up to full blast.

The sun was setting by the time that Anya finally came out of her room that night. After listening to several of the soundtrack CDs that she owned- such as _Sound of Music_, _Phantom of the Opera_, and _Beauty and the Beast_- Anya finally felt relaxed enough to be able to talk to her parents and try to understand this news about herself and hopefully figure out what exactly she was going to do with it. When she got downstairs, she heard something in the living room and figuring that it was her parents, she walked in. her parents were the ones making the noise, but they weren't the only ones.

Anya was positive that she had never met the older gentleman before and if she did she had no memory of it. He was quite tall and very slim, and judging by the silver coloring of his immensely long hair and beard- both which looked like they could be tucked into his belt- he was very old. His eyes were a remarkable blue shade and they seemed to twinkle behind the half-moon glasses that sat on his long and crooked nose. The thing about him that stood out so much though was what he was wearing; long robes of a maroon color under a large purple cloak, high-heeled buckled boots, and a pointed hat that matched the cloak and had gold stars and moons scattered all over it.

"Hello Anya," he greeted the young girl with a very pronounced English accent that held the slightest hint of Scottish.

"Um… hello," she answered back timidly.

"Anya sweetie, this is Professor Dumbledore," Nicole said as she motioned to the older gentleman.

"Oh!" Anya exclaimed as she walked further into the room. Dumbledore stood as she came closer and politely held his hand out to her. "It's a pleasure to meet you sir."

"The pleasure is mine, young lady," he said with a smile. "Please, won't you join us?" he waved his free hand and right before their very eyes, a lovely wooden rocking chair appeared out of thin air. "It's alright," Dumbledore said as Anya jumped back in shock. "It won't bite." Once everyone was seated comfortably, Dumbledore waved his hand again and a beautiful silver tea set appeared on the coffee table, the sweet smell of lemon tea reaching Anya's nose. "Would any of you like some?" he offered, to which only Anya nodded. The pot rose from its place on the tray and poured out some of the liquid into a cup all on its own. Then the cup floated over to Anya who gingerly took it in her hands and took a timid sip.

"Your mother and father have told me that you hadn't taken the news you received earlier today well, is that correct?" Dumbledore asked her, to which she shook her head. "Well I can only assume that you have a great deal of questions to ask, so perhaps I should start from the beginning.

"You see Anya, everything that you have ever heard about beings that have special abilities is real; witches and wizards, werewolves, vampires, and much more. Over a thousand years ago, there were four witches and wizards who were quite well known and they worked together to create Hogwarts. These wizards were Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Salazar Slytherin. Each house in the school was named after the founders and witches and wizards around the world have been furthering their magical education for centuries, just as you can."

"Hang on a second," Anya interrupted as she sat her cup down on the table. "There's something I don't understand. If I'm really a witch, then why can't I do magic? I mean, I've never been able to before so why should it only start now? And what about my parents? Aren't they a witch and wizard too?"

"You are mistaken my dear, you have done magic before. If anything strange happened- things that you were not able to explain- when you felt a strong emotion; anger, fear, or even sadness. And as for your parents, it is not necessary that they are wizards for you to be one yourself," Dumbledore answered. Seeing the perplexed look on the girl's face, he began to elaborate. "You see my dear, your parents are what is known as 'muggles', meaning that they have no magical abilities, and you are 'muggle-born.' You are the only person in your family that has magic in your veins. And as for only being told of this now rather when you were younger, it is because most witches and wizards begin to show true magic potential at the age of eleven. Think of it as the Wizarding world's version of becoming a teenager."

"And how did you know that I even was a witch in the first place? I mean, do you have some sort of 'Witch Detector' that starts blinking and whistling while pointing to where the new witch is? And what about you two?" Anya asked the last question to her parents. "Did you know about this?"

"They only knew what I had told them the first time we had met," Dumbledore answered, bringing Anya's attention back to him. "You see, I somehow have a gift which allows me to see if there is any magical traces within a person and I had seen that there were traces when you were born and so I came to America and spoke with your parents, telling them that there was the possibility of you being a witch. I told them that should anything happen that was out of the ordinary, they could contact me."

Anya was silent. She could hardly believe that this was actually happening- that all this was real. But there was a man standing right in her living room and telling her all these facts with such clarity that it was impossible not to believe him.

"So what exactly is going to happen now?" Rick asked.

"It is Anya's choice," Dumbledore said. "She can choose to go to Hogwarts, where she can pursue the knowledge that is as much a part of who she is as you are or she may remain here and continue living her life exactly as it is now."

Nicole and Rick both looked over at their daughter who had stood up from the rocking chair and walked over to the large glass window that overlooked most of the city. They couldn't see her face, but they knew it was twisted with her inner conflict. They both knew that Anya was intrigued with the idea of studying magic but was afraid of her life changing.

And they were right. Anya was slightly terrified thinking about it. There were at least a dozen 'what if' questions running through her mind; what if she wasn't any good at magic? What if she goes to Hogwarts and realizes it's not what she wants? What if she became the school's outcast? How could she go back to being the 'normal' girl in New York City when she knows that she _isn't _normal? And what would happen if she chose not to go? Would her powers grow in strength until things start flying around against her will? It was a lot to take in.

"Whatever you decide, my dear, should be what you heart tells you," Dumbledore said as he waved his hand and the tea set along with the rocking chair vanished. "I thank you for your time, Mr. and Mrs. Collins." And with that, he picked up the cloak from the chair he had been sitting in and draped it over his shoulders as he made his way to the front door.

"Wait," a soft voice spoke up, bringing the attention of all the adults in the room to the young girl. Anya looked into the eyes of the older gentleman that seemed to almost twinkle with knowledge and she knew that he already knew her choice. "You know… I doubt that I can get my school supplies at the usual places I shop."

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><p><em><strong>So that's chapter one, obviously. As said before, this story will have many chapters as it follows Anya throughout the next several years of her life. Hopefully, you like it and will comment.<strong>_

___**Check out my video on youtube for the trailer for my story. Username is twilightfanatic92**_

_**R&R! **_

_**Nancy (aka megamatchmaker)  
><strong>_


	2. Year 1 Ch2

****_**Hey guys! So chapter one has a couple of reviews and they seem to like it, so I think I'll continue with this story. I also saw that since I post this up, there have been more views on my video on youtube. Yay!**_

_**Anyway- disclaimer: Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, and everyone from the Harry Potter world belongs to J.K. Rowling. Anya Collins and everything related directly to her belongs to me.**_

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><p><strong>Ch. 2 Diagon Alley<strong>

"Hang on a second!" Anya exclaimed the next morning as she stared at the older gentleman standing before her and her parents. "What do you mean by we'll get there by 'fireplace'? How the heck is a _fireplace_ going to help us get to another _country across the ocean_?"

Dumbledore's eyes were twinkling more than before and he reached into his pocket and extracted a small glass jar, which looked like it was filled with dirt and glitter. "This is called Floo powder, Ms. Collins. This is what some witches and wizards use by means of transportation when the access of broomstick or Apparition is out of reach."

"Apparition?" Nicole asked as she eyed the jar with curiosity and a small tinge of fear. She didn't like the idea of her daughter going into a fireplace.

"Apparition is an advanced spell used by fully trained witches and wizards to disappear from one place and appear almost instantly somewhere else. They cannot perform such a spell unless they were to be of age- which is seventeen in the wizarding world- and no one is capable to Apparate within Hogwarts grounds," Dumbledore explained. "Now… shall we?" The Collins family looked at the offered jar with confusion, wondering what exactly they were supposed to do. It was Anya however who was the first to take a handful of the glittering dust.

"Now it is quite simple, my dear. First you must stand in the fireplace say the name of the place you wish to arrive at, which in this case would be a place known as the Leaky Cauldron. Then you must throw the Floo powder down and emerald flames will appear. Do not worry," Dumbledore added as he saw the terrified look on the little girl's face, "the flames will not hurt you. They are merely for show, I find. When you arrive, you simply wait for us. The keeper, Tom, will be waiting. Simply tell him that Albus is coming and he will let you wait. I just need to prepare your parents for the Floo Network. Not many muggles pass through it, I'm afraid."

So with that, Anya grabbed the old knapsack that she had packed with her wallet, mp3 player and a book, stepped into the fireplace and shouted the location she had been told as she tossed the powder down. She gasped as the green fire wrapped around her like a blanket, but she didn't feel its heat. And the next thing she knew, they instantly died and she stuck her head out of the fireplace.

_'Look at this place!'_ Anya thought as she stepped out of the fireplace and brushed at her clothes. This so called Leaky Cauldron looked like an average shabby type of pub. Some people sat in the wooden chairs surrounding small circular tables, sipping at steaming mugs and eating their eggs and toast. Most of the light source came from the dozen or so candles that sat on the tables and along the bar. The only thing that differed from an average pub was all the occupants were dressed in long robes and other similar outfits. Anya felt very out of place in her jeans, sneakers, and cotton candy pink t-shirt with a picture of Tinkerbell on the front.

"Well hello there, young lady," a voice spoke from behind Anya and the poor thing nearly jumped out of her skin. Spinning on her heels, she found herself face to face with a man who was bald and reminded her of her grumpy old English teacher, Mr. Blake. The man was standing behind the bar, wiping at a glass with his towel. "Welcome to the Leaky Cauldron, my dear. Where did you come from?"

"New York," was Anya's timid reply. "Um… A man said for me to tell someone named Tom that Albus was coming, so…"

"Albus? You mean Albus Dumbledore?" the older man asked, to which she nodded. "So you must be Ms. Collins, am I right?" Again, his answer was a small nod. "Well then, by all means, come here! My name is Tom, by the way, and I'm the keeper of the Leaky Cauldron. Now, how about a nice cup of hot chocolate? On the house!" Anya couldn't help but smile at the older gentleman's chipper mood and she sat down on a stool as Tom placed a white porcelain cup in front of her. She smiled her thanks and took a sip, allowing the rich taste of the brown liquid to pour down her throat. Tom smiled in return and suddenly all the window shutters opened and let in the warm summer rays.

Anya then heard the sound like a roar of fire and turned on her seat to see her parents and Dumbledore standing in front of the fireplace. Both Nicole and Rick looked a little green under the small patches of soot that covered their faces and they stumbled slightly, whilst Dumbledore was clean of anything and stood as perfectly still as a soldier. "Hey mom! Hey dad!" Anya giggled, a little happy that she had come out of the trip in better shape than her parents. "Have a nice trip?"

,:~:,

Diagon Alley was simply amazing! The tiny street, which was hidden behind the wall in courtyard of the Leaky Cauldron, was packed with shops of nearly every shape and size and people crossing from one side of the cobblestone street to the other. Signs hung above the open doors of the shops, reading things like 'Apothecary' and 'Eeylops Owl Emporium'. Anya was practically bursting with excitement, wanting to run off and browse through the different stores.

"Our first stop is Gringotts," Dumbledore said, clearly seeing the look in the young girl's eyes. "You'll need an exchange if you want to buy anything here. Muggle money is different than that of the wizarding world." So Anya reluctantly walked away from the window of the animal store and followed her parents and Dumbledore to the bank.

Gringotts bank was enormous, towering over all the other buildings with its snowy-white stone walls. Its marble steps led up to two large doors made of a shining bronze and standing right beside them, dressed in a suit made of scarlet and gold materials was a… Anya wasn't sure exactly what he was; just that it was a little man judging by the pointed beard. He was shorter than her by at least a foot and Anya wasn't that very tall to begin with, being less than 5 feet tall- 4ft. 10 ½ in. to be exact, but who's counting?

"That would be a goblin, Ms. Collins," Dumbledore said as they passed by the little man. The goblin bowed as they opened the bronze doors to be met with another set of doors- silver this time- that had something engraved in them;

_Enter, stranger, but take heed  
>Of what awaits the sin of greed,<br>For those who take, but do not earn,  
>Must pay most dearly in their turn.<br>So if you seek beneath our floors  
>A treasure that was never yours,<br>Thief, you have been warned, beware  
>Of finding more than treasure there.<em>

Anya felt a lump form in her throat as she read the message on the doors, but it quickly vanished as they opened to reveal a room with even more goblins; some sitting at desks weighing coins on brass scales, scribbling on ledgers, or examining beautiful precious stones. There were too many doors leading off from the hall, yet goblins were showing people in and out of them. Anya followed the adults up to the large desk at the other end of the hall where another goblin sat.

"These lovely people would like to make an exchange," Dumbledore said to the goblin as they drew closer. The smaller man looked up from his ledger with a surprised expression on his face as he stared at the wizard before him. But then he simply held his hand out for the small paper bag that Anya's father had in his hands which contained the money they were exchanging. When they stepped back outside onto the street, the bag had been replaced for one made of leather and filled with coins of silver, gold, and bronze.

"Well, this is where I must leave you," Dumbledore said as they walked down the steps. "I have been favouring the taste of a certain muggle sweet for some time now. If you'll excuse me." And with that, he almost instantly disappeared in the crowd.

"So where should we go first?" Rick asked his wife.

,:~:,

"So the only things left to get are robes and your wand," Nicole said as she checked the list of things Anya needed. They had already gone to Florish and Blott's for books, the stationery shop for quills and ink, and several other shops for other necessities, and they had to make two trips to the Leaky Cauldron to drop off all the packages in their room.

"Don't forget my owl Mom," Anya added. Before either parent could say anything, Anya already ran to the other side of the street, admiring the different nocturnal birds resting in their cages inside of the Owl Emporium.

"Sweetie, do you really think you need an _owl_ as a pet?" Nicole asked her daughter as she and her husband walked up beside her. "Wouldn't you rather a toad or something? I'm sure they've got plenty of those. Or maybe even a cat?" She knew exactly how much Anya loved all animals. There was hardly any that she didn't like.

"Mom, no offence to the little guys, but toads are kind of disgusting. Not to mention dull," Anya sighed. "I mean seriously, what can you do with a toad? Catch flies for its dinner? Sit it in the toilet for a bath? Have a staring contest?"

"Then what about a cat?" Nicole suggested.

"Mom?" Anya pointed to her father, who had walked to the other side of the shop where all the felines were and was now sneezing terribly. With eyes that were red and teary and a nose that was running like a faucet on at full blast, it wasn't hard to figure out that Rick was allergic to cats. Looking back at her daughter, Nicole knew that there was no chance to change Anya's mind and so when they walked out of the shop, Anya was carrying a cage with a beautiful golden masked owl sleeping inside.

"Honey, do you think you could go in yourself for now?" Nicole asked Anya. "I'll stay out here with your father until he stops sneezing before we go inside." And after leaving her new pet with her parents, Anya walked into Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions.

"Hello dear," a squat witch greeted Anya as she stepped into the shop. "How can I help you? First year at Hogwarts?"

"Yes ma'am," Anya answered politely.

"Wonderful. I've got another young lady getting her robes fitted in back."

The other girl looked to be around Anya's age, with very bushy brown hair and two front incisors that were a little larger than the average size. Madam Malkin helped Anya up onto the step beside her, slipped a long black robe over her head and began to pin it at the appropriate length while another elderly witch did the same to the other girl.

"Hello," the girl said to Anya. "Going to Hogwarts?"

"Yeah, that's right," Anya smiled. When Madam Malkin stepped away for a minute, she held out her hand. "I'm Anya Collins."

"Hermione Granger, pleasure to meet you," the girl greeted as she shook Anya's hand. "Anya… that's a very interesting name. That's Russian if I'm not mistaken. Short of Anastasia, am I right?"

"Yeah. My mom was really into the whole Anastasia Nikolaevna thing and she wanted to name me after her, but everyone just calls me Anya."

"But you're accent… forgive me for being rude, but it doesn't sound a thing like a Russian's," Hermione stated embarrassingly.

"Don't worry about it," Anya chuckled at the light blush forming on the brunette's cheeks. "I get that all the time. I'm actually from America. New York City to be exact."

"That sounds interesting," Hermione smiled. "So do you know what house you'll be in?" Anya shook her head no. "Well maybe you'll be in the same house as your parents were."

"I doubt it," Anya sighed. She had been hoping that should at least get to the school and make some friends before this happened, but it looked like luck wasn't on her side. "My parents never went to Hogwarts… or any wizard school, for that matter."

"You mean to say that you're muggle-born?" Hermione asked and Anya simply hung her head, nodded slightly and waited for the first insult to fly. But instead she got "So am I!" which caused her head to snap back up so fast, she could have almost had whiplash.

"Really?"

"Yes! Oh, this is wonderful! For a minute there, I'd thought I would have been the only one in the school our age! Maybe we'll be in the same house!" The enthusiasm that radiated off Hermione was almost like a wave of sunshine, quickly filling Anya with a sense of eagerness.

"I hope so!" she started jumping lightly on the stool and the older witch had to lightly tug on the bottom of the robe she was pinning to get the girl to stand still. "Oops! Sorry!" Anya sheepishly said, gaining a laugh from her new friend. After a few more minutes, the women were finally finished and helped the girls out of the robes before bringing them to the cashier, where a man and woman were standing.

"Mom, Dad, I'd like you to meet a friend I just met," Hermione said to them. "This is Anya Collins. Anya, this is my mother Jean and father Jason."

"Pleasure to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Granger," Anya greeted them a properly as a person could.

"Nice to meet you, young lady," Mrs. Granger said as they shook hands. "I take it that you're starting Hogwarts this fall too?"

"Yes ma'am. And I'm relieved to see that I'm not going to be the only one like myself to be in our year."

"Anya's a muggle-born like I am," Hermione added.

"Well that's very nice dear," Jason smiled; glad to see that his daughter wouldn't be alone in a new school so far from home. Anya smiled in return and when she looked back to Mrs. Granger, she saw that the older woman was looking at her intently.

"Umm… is something wrong, Mrs. Granger?" she asked.

"Oh, I'm sorry dear," Jean apologized. "It's just that you look so much like someone I had known when I was around your age. She had been a foreign exchange student that had come to live with my family when I was about 14 years old. We became very good friends and stayed in touch for a long time after she went back home, but I'm afraid that I lost contact with her a while back." She looked at the young girl, wondering. "By change, does your mother's name happen to be-?"

"Jeanie?" Nicole asked as she stepped through the doorway into the shop, followed shortly by her husband. "Is that you?"

"Nikki?" Jean questioned, using the nickname she had always called her friend.

""Oh my goodness, it is you!" Nicole exclaimed before she walked up to Jean and wrapped her in a hug. "It's been so long!"

"Yes it has!" Jean laughed as she pulled back. "You look wonderful Nicole! How are you doing?"

"I've been great. I'd like to introduce you to my husband, Rick Collins," Nicole addressed him to her old friend. "Honey, this is my friend back when I was a little girl, Jean Winters."

"It's Jean Granger now, actually," Jean corrected as she shook hands with Rick. "And I'd like to introduce my husband Jason. And this is our daughter Hermione."

"Nice to meet you, sweetie," Nicole said as she shook hands with the young witch. "Oh Jeanie, she looks exactly like you!"

"As your daughter looks like you, Nikki," Jean answered. "This is just wonderful! Our little girls are going to be in school together! If they turn out to be like us, they'll be the best of friends before the school year begins!" she gushed. Hermione, noticing that her mother was about to start catching up, reached up and kissed her father on the cheek, telling him that she was going to go spend time with Anya who was saying the same to her father, and the two girls then left.

It was half an hour later that the adults came out of the shop with bags full of school uniforms. When they reached Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour, they saw their daughters happily eating two banana splits; Hermione laughing at the story Anya had told her of how she had glued her teacher into his chair. They waited until the girls were done their snack before making their way to the last shop at the end of the alley; Ollivander's.

"You're sure that you guys bought enough of the girl's pants for my uniform?" Anya asked her parents as she peeked into one of the bags. When she saw Hermione looking at her funny, she added, "Don't get me wrong. Skirts are just as comfy, but I really prefer pants and shorts and stuff like that over skirts. Something about having each leg properly wrapped in material feels more natural than skirts and kilts- almost like another layer of skin."

"We bought six pairs," Nicole told her daughter. "The only way you'd need more would be if you tore most of them apart. Although, judging by the way you act like your father, it wouldn't surprise me if you did." Anya's cheeks started glowing an intense shade of red at that comment.

As they all stepped into Ollivander's, they were met with wall-to-wall shelves of small boxes. It was very gloomy looking inside with its dark lightly, and the eyes of the old man that was standing behind the counter of the shop stood out like moons.

"Good afternoon," he said in a very soft voice. "Looking for wands today?"

"Yes sir," Anya and Hermione both answered at the same time. Mr. Ollivander smiled and pulled out a silver measuring tape from his pocket. Anya stepped back a little allowing Hermione to go first. Mr. Ollivander took the measurements of her right arm and then picked a couple wands from the shelves.

"Try this one then; vine wood and dragon heartstring," he said as he handed her another wand after the fourth time. As Hermione's fingers wrapped around the grip of the wand, red and gold sparks emitted from the tip. "Excellent! Now you, my dear," he addressed Anya, who came up willingly and held out her left arm. It had taken only two tries before the same sparks came from the end of the wand in her hand; a lovely ash wood that had been bleached a beige color by long hours in the sunlight, a violet ribbon that matched Anya's eyes around the handle which had a small wooden rose bud carving on the end, and unicorn hair core.

After paying for the wands and leaving the shop, both families made their way back to the Leaky Cauldron for dinner. When she noticed that the adults were all too wrapped up in their conversation to notice anything else, Hermione nudged her friend slightly to draw her attention away from the slice of fresh apple pie that had been placed in front of her.

"Looks like our parents are really getting along aren't they?" she asked Anya, which only gained her a roll of the eyes.

"Hermione… our mothers had been close friends when they were little, so that should have been obvious. As for our dads," she nodded her head to the Rick and Jason, "My dad's already swapping family recipes with your dad. That's a sure sign that they'd get along," she ended in a chuckle before returning to her dessert.

"So be sure to keep in touch," Nicole reminded Jean as she and her family stood next to the fireplace later that evening.

"Same here," Jean replied as she hugged her friend. "And it was wonderful to meet you Anya," she added to the little girl, giving her a light hug.

"Pleasure was all mine ma'am," Anya smiled before grabbing some more of the powder from the jar Dumbledore had left her and her family and stepping into the fireplace. "See you on the first Hermione!" And with a quick shout of her address, Anya threw the powder down. Floo Powder was starting to be a really fun way of travelling.

* * *

><p><em><strong>So Hermione and Anya are already getting along (of course). When will they meet Harry and Ron? What'll happen in the chapters to come?<strong>_

_**You'll have to wait and see! ;)**_

_**Chapter 3 will be up by Saturday, November 19th! Promise!**_

_**R&R!**_

_**Nancy (aka megamatchmaker)  
><strong>_


	3. Year 1 Ch3

**_MMM: So here's chapter 3. As promised on the 19th of November. So let's do this! Anya, would you like the honor?_**

**_AC: Thanks! *turns to audience* I am a creation of megamatchmaker, along with my family and American friends and everything that are part of my life directly. Everything else belongs to J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter franchise. *turns to author* Hang on a sec! Doesn't that make you my mother?_**

**_MMM: No!... At least, I don't think so... Maybe?_**

**_AC: *huffs* Whatever. And another thing- I'm suppose to fall in love with _Draco Malfoy_? What's up with that? He's disgusting!_**

**_MMM: *smiles* You think that now, but wait 'til you're older. You won't be so disgusted by guys then. Besides, you haven't even met him yet, so don't go judging him.  
><em>**

**_AC: *huffs* Fine. But as long as I get to kick his butt at one point before you make me all lovey-dovey with him.__  
><em>**

**_MMM: I'll do you better- you'll get to embarass him, talk down at him, and rough him up a little bit. Then the 'lovey-dovey' feeling will set in._**

**_AC: Really?_**

**_MMM: Yes, really. Now stop interrupting the nice readers so they can continue the story._**

**_AC: OK! Bye! *runs off happily*  
><em>**

* * *

><p><strong>Ch. 3 Trains<strong>

The remainder of summer vacation went by very quickly for young Anya. When she had told her friends that she was going to be going to another school for the entire year, they had become determined that they would all spend as much time together as they could. They spent the days going to the beach, bowling, and other things. And during the evening, Anya would sit in the living room with her parents and read a few pages from one of her school books out loud to them.

Anya was so fascinated by the different things that were in her school books; so much that she would actually stay up late at night hidden under her bed sheets with a flashlight in hand. The only times where'd she'd actually turn it off for the night were when she got too tired to keep reading or when her owl- whom she had named Starshine- would start hooting and wake up her parents and they'd come to check on her.

A week before the first of September eventually rolled around and Anya received another letter from the school; this one containing the ticket for the school train. The ticket read 'Platform 9 3/4' of King Cross Station, but when she looked it up online Anya couldn't find any platform with that number. Figuring that it was a magic thing, she simply shrugged it off and tucked the envelope away for safe keeping.

"I really wish you weren't leaving tomorrow!" Irene practically wailed as she, her sister, and Anya swam around in the pool located in the Holt's backyard the next day. Irene was always the more theatrical of the two twins and she would always find some excuse to do so. "We'll never see you again!"

Anya just rolled her eyes at her friend's behaviour before splashing her. "Oh come off it Iry!" she sighed as she pulled herself out of the pool. "I'm only going to be gone for a school year then come back for summer. And I'm coming home for Christmas and March break, and I've already promised to write every single day," she added, wrapping herself in her huge purple Tinkerbelle towel. "What more do you want from me?"

"Just ignore her Anya," Emily said as she got out of the pool only to walk over to the diving board. "She's just practising before school starts so she can try out for the drama club," she added before making one of the best dives a twelve year old could make.

"Drama club?" Anya's eyebrows nearly shot straight up to her hairline as she asked that question. "Irene Holt, you've been a part of the drama club since we were seven! Why would need practise?"

"'Cause apparently there's some new teacher that's in charge of the club and he wants everyone to audition for it and then he'll choose the best," was her answer. Anya just shook her head in amusement before the twins' mother came outside with a large pizza box.

It was the next day that she and her parents all boarded the plane that would take them back to London and wait out the few days left of summer time.

,:~:,

When the first finally rolled around, Anya was extremely hyper. She had already packed her new trunk with everything she needed, cleaned and polished Starshine's cage twice, and woken up three hours earlier than needed. After a quick breakfast of bacon sandwiches and hash browns- all of which Anya had very little of due to a jittery stomach- Anya and her parents left the hotel for the train station, Anya eagerly hopping up and down in her seat the entire ride. On arriving, they lugged all of Anya's things onto one of the trolleys and started walking around the place, trying to find the right platform. They even tried asking one of the guards working there and he simply laughed in their faces before walking off.

"Now what?" Anya asked her parents worriedly. The last thing she wanted to do was miss the train and be late for school. "Oh man! I really wish we hadn't left that jar of Floo Powder back home!"

"Now sweetie, you just need to calm down," Nicole told her daughter. "I'm sure we'll figure something out. We just need to be patient."

"Patient?" Anya whipped the ticket out of her pocket. "Mom, this says that the train leaves at exactly eleven o'clock. What if I can't get there after? What if they don't accept tardy students? What if-?"

"Anya, pumpkin!" Rick nearly shouted over the noises around him as he knelt down and gently took his daughter by the shoulders. "Just take a deep breath and relax." Once she had done as her father told her, he continued. "Alright. Now there has to be someone here that can help us with this little problem. The last thing that we need to do is go and lose our heads, alright?" As he said this, Anya looked over his shoulder to see a familiar mane of bushy brown hair.

"Hermione!" she squealed as she dashed past her parents to her friend where she wrapped her arms around her in the biggest bear hug she could manage. "Man, am I happy to see you!"

"So am I!" Hermione answered as best as she could; Anya's arms were wrapped around her neck and squeezing tighter with each passing second. "But I do miss being able to breathe a little more at the moment!" Anya's arms instantly removed themselves from her person as she backed away, the poor girl's face as bright and red as a tomato which quickly disappeared when she looked over Hermione's shoulder.

Standing right behind her was a rather short and plump looking boy, with a cute rounded face framed with dark locks and ears that were a little larger than average and big brown eyes. Standing beside him was an older woman talking with Hermione's parents. She was dressed in green robes with a fox-fur scarf wrapped around her neck, a very… _intriguing _hat that had a dead vulture resting on top of it, and a bright red handbag swung on her arm. The Grangers looked slightly fearful of her.

"Oh, sorry!" Hermione squeaked, bringing Anya's attention back. "This is Neville Longbottom. He's going to be starting school with us this year. Neville, this is my friend Anya Collins," she introduced him, beckoning him over.

"Hello," Neville said in a slightly trembling voice and held a hand out "Nice to meet you."

"Hi Neville!" Anya smiled her usual megawatt smile as she shook his hand. "Nice to meet you! So how do you know Hermione?"

"We just bumped into each other… really," Hermione quickly answered.

"She's just being nice. I accidentally tripped over my feet and tumbled into her," Neville corrected her, his ears slowly turning pink.

"Neville here was actually just telling me how to get to the platform, actually," Hermione continued, clearly wanting to avoid any details and judging by Neville's face, neither did he.

"That's great! We were heading that way too!" Anya smiled again, motioning back at her parents before turning back to Neville with an embarrassed expression. "By the way, how _do _you get on the platform? Where is it?"

So after being shown the hidden passageway to platform 9 ¾- where they all had to literally walk straight at the wall of an archway between platforms 9 and 10- Anya hugged her parents goodbye since they had to take an early flight back home and lugged her extra bag and Starshine's cage on the train, leaving her massive trunk with all the others lined up along the end of the platform where a few workers were loading them on board. When Hermione found an empty compartment, she, Anya and Neville all sat down.

"Man this is so cool!" Anya cheered as she looked out to the massive crowd on the platform, the swirls of muggle clothing and wizard robes blending in perfection. "This is going to be so much fun!" When she turned back to talk to her friends, Anya saw Hermione was struggling to pull her uniform out of her bag. "Um… Hermione? What are you doing?" she asked.

"I'm going to go put my robes on," Hermione answered, tugging her black skirt out of her luggage.

"Hermione, we haven't even left the platform yet! You don't have to change yet!" Anya sighed, knowing that Hermione would do whatever she pleased whether Anya said something or not. After half a summer of sending letters back and forth, Anya quickly learnt that not only was Hermione quite the bookworm, but she was also very determined and never backed down from anything once she set her mind to it. Besides, Anya wasn't really one to talk; she had arrived at the platform already dressed in her grey pants and white blouse, her black sweater vest, robes, and tie all shoved into her carry-on bag. The only thing that wasn't really a part of her uniform was her neon pink sneakers with equally bright green laces.

So when Hermione just shrugged and walked out of the compartment, Anya didn't try to stop her. Instead, she turned to Neville, who looked a little uncomfortable as he stared out the window. "Hey Neville, is everything alright? You look a little… nervous," Anya stated. He had been very quiet since he introduced himself, but Anya figured that he was just shy. When Neville didn't answer, she simply sat back in her seat and fiddling with the cuff of her shirt.

"You don't have to pretend you know," Neville's meek voice suddenly spoke up, catching Anya by surprise. "I know you're only being nice to me because you feel like you should… but it's alright. I won't hold it against you if you decide to not speak to me once we get to school."

"What do you mean Neville?" she asked him, hardly daring to believe what she was hearing. "Why would I do a thing like that?"

"Because I know I'm not someone that anyone would want to be friends with. I mean look at me," he gestured to himself. "I'm a terrible wizard, I'm always forgetting even the smallest things, and I'm practically scared of everything. Who would want to be friends with me?"

Anya gave him a small smile, though he didn't see it, and reached over and took his hand in hers. "I would," she whispered, bringing the young boy's attention back to her.

"So what if you tend to forget things from time to time? Everyone does; it's not uncommon. As for the being scared? Again, not uncommon. Everyone is scared of something. Sometimes they're even scared of more than one thing! That doesn't mean that it makes you terrible friend quality; it just means that you aren't some emotionless creep with a stick shoved so far up their butt that it comes out of their nose." Anya was able to get a small chuckle out of him, causing another megawatt smile to appear on her face.

"And as for being a 'terrible' wizard, can I just say that I find that highly unlikely?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean at least you probably know at least something about the school we're going to. Me? I don't know the first thing about the magical world. I'm muggleborn. I've lived in New York City all my life, I've gone to nothing but muggle schools, and the only things about magic I heard about were in fairy tales and books. Out of the two of us, if anyone was the terrible 'wizard'," Anya air quoted the word wizard with her fingers, "it would be me."

"You?" Neville asked in a shocked tone. "But you're so nice! I mean from what I know of you. How could you be a terrible wiz- I mean, terrible witch?" he corrected the last part when he saw the look on Anya's face. "And you just seem so perfect, like nothing could ever get you down. And-"

"So how is it exactly that _I_ can be the absolutely _wonderful _person at first glance but _you_ supposedly aren't fit to even be my _friend_?" Anya interrupted, crossing her arms with a triumphant grin on her face as she leaned back in her seat.

Neville looked at her perplexed, and when he kept going to make some sort of comeback, he would only start to talk before stopping midsentence. He then smiled; realizing what it was Anya was trying to point out, finally accepted what she was saying.

By the time Hermione finally came back to the compartment, the train had just left the platform and Anya was telling Neville about when she and the Holt twins had sneaked into the principal's office and switched the school's bell music for 'Rockin' Robin' back in third grade.

"When my parents came out of that office, they _acted_ like I was in really big trouble," Anya finished, "but they told me that they preferred the song choice we chose over the shrill, annoying ringing that the bell originally made as we were driving home!" This got the young boy laughing so hard that if he had been drinking something, it would have come out of his nose.

"Ok, so I've been talking for nearly an hour and a half straight and I've got to say that I'm out of conversation bits," Anya piped up a little while later, lightly rubbing her neck in soft circles. "How about I give someone else a shot at the table?" Just as she said this however, a short, dimpled woman came along the corridor, pushing a trolley.

"Anything sweet off the trolley for you, dearies?" the elderly woman smiled at them.

"Sure!" Anya cheered, suddenly realizing just how hungry she was now. She grabbed the small pouch of extra wizarding money that her parents had given her for the term and walked over to see what there was.

She had expected to see stuff like Oh Henry bars or Skittles or maybe even gummy bears, but there weren't any. Instead, there were things like Chocolate Frogs, Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans, and other oddly-named items. Finally, Anya just decided to buy three of everything, along with a large bottle of pumpkin juice and brought her trove into the compartment.

"Thank you ma'am!" Anya grinned as she handed over the correct money to the older woman. "Have a nice day!"

"You too, my dear," the woman smiled in return before continuing down the corridor. Anya just smiled at the woman once more before closing the door on the compartment and sitting down in her seat.

"Come on you guys, dig in," she told Hermione and Neville as she reached into her bag and pulled out three sheets of paper and some tape, rolling them up to form three paper cups and taping them shut.

"You didn't have to buy us anything Anya," Neville stated.

"I know I didn't _have to_, I _wanted to_- two totally different things," Anya answered, pouring some of the pumpkin juice into the cups and passing them out. "This is what I always do for my friends. Call it my 'friendship buffet'." She then held up her make-due glass. "Here's to friendship!"

"To friendship!" Neville and Hermione both cheered.

The three friends spent the rest of the train ride enjoying their treats. After finding out that there was _every _type of flavour in the Bertie Bott's beans, Hermione refused to even touch them and stuck with the Cauldron cakes and other items. Unsurprisingly, Anya was the first one to tear into a box. Anya wound up trying chocolate, strawberry cheesecake, coconut, peppermint, and buttered toast while Neville got things like earwax, vomit, and other disgusting flavours.

"Ugh! Alright, how do you keep getting the good ones and I get the ones that are sickening?" Neville complained as he tried spitting out the dirt flavour from his mouth. Anya just shrugged and carelessly popped another bean into her mouth, the sweet flavour of candied apples spreading on her tongue.

"Just lucky, I guess," she grinned. As she looked outside the window, Anya saw that the sky was far darker then she had thought it was. "Shoot!" she said, jumping out of her seat and began tugging the rest of her uniform out of her bag. "Hey Neville, I think you should go get ready. We'll probably be there soon," she told him, but when he didn't seem to be paying attention, she turned around to see Neville looking under his seat. "Something wrong Neville?"

"Trevor's gone!" he cried.

"Who's Trevor?" Hermione asked, looking around for… something.

"My pet toad. He was sleeping in my jacket pocket before! He must have jumped out at some point!" The look on Neville's face was unmistakably tearful.

"Alright Neville, now don't panic!" Anya tried soothing him. "Everything will be alright. Hermione," she addressed the other girl, "why don't you go down the corridor; see if anyone might have seen a toad that they shouldn't have seen. Neville and I will go the other way and do the same. OK team, let's move out! We've got ourselves a toad to find!"

Anya and Neville stopped at every compartment, poking their heads in and asking if anyone had seen Neville's missing toad, the dread growing on Neville's face with each answer of denial. By the time they reached the front compartments, Anya could see an outline of a little village in the distance.

"Neville, I think we should get ready," she told the boy. "Don't worry. I'm sure someone will have found Trevor and will bring him to the school with us. You just have to keep faith, alright?" She received a weak nod, but was able to bring him back to the compartment.

,:~:,

Anya was proved to be correct. After being shown the way to the boats that would bring them to the school by a very large man by the name of Hagrid, Trevor had been found in one boat. Though Anya didn't really notice; she had been too taken by the amazing castle that stood on top of the high mountain before them, its many turrets and towers cutting through the night sky.

"Alright then ye'all! Let's go!" Hagrid's booming voice spoke over the group of first years, showing them the way into the beautiful monument.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AC: A castle? I'm studying at a castle? Awesome!<strong>_

_**MMM: Yeah I know. Talk about lucky.**_

_**AC: And Neville seems like a nice guy. Little shy, but nice.**_

_**NL: Who says I'm shy?**_

_**MMM: *turns to Neville* Well, you kind of are shy... but it suits you!**_

_**NL: *blushes***_

_**AC: See? That's adorable!**_

_**DM: And where do I come in? I thought this story was about me too?**_

_**AC: Yeah, and when do I get to beat him up?  
><strong>_

_**MMM: *laughs* That's it for now, people! Next chapter will be up on the 26th of November! See you then! Don't forget to click on that button on the bottom! Yeah, that one! 'Review this Chapter'! Click on it, please!  
><strong>_

_**Nancy (aka megamatchmaker)  
><strong>_


	4. Year 1 Ch4

**_MMM: This story is really killing my fingers here! I was able to write up 3 different chapters for this within one day, and each is about 3000 words long! And that's not counting the times I re-read through something, deleted it, and re-wrote it!_**

**_AC: Alright, alright! We get it! You've done a lot of writing today! But can we please continue? I want to get to my first day of classes already!_**

**_MMM: Alright then... But you won't be starting classes in this chapter._**

**_AC: Why not? *whimpers like puppy*_**

**_MMM: Because you still need to be sorted! And that is enough for a chapter as it is! I promise that you'll have your first day next chapter, ok?  
><em>**

**_AC: Alright... Well, megamatchmaker doesn't own the HP series.  
><em>**

* * *

><p><strong>Ch. 4 The Sorting<strong>

The only thing Anya could do when the large door opened was stare in awe at the wonder that was Hogwarts. With its tall walls, majestic statues, and marble staircase all cast in the soft gold glow the torches emitted, little Anya felt as though she had just fallen into one of her fairy tale books. _'If this is what I have to look forward to for the next seven years, then I might never leave!'_ she thought as she looked around to take in all the beauty and splendour, not even noticing when Hagrid had left them all in the entrance hall.

"Can I have your attention please?" a voice announced, bringing the attention of all the first years to a severe-looking woman dressed in emerald green robes, a black pointed hat, and square-shaped glasses. "Welcome to Hogwarts. In a few minutes, you will be brought to the Great Hall and sorted into your houses; they are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Now while you're here, your house will be like your family. Your triumpks will earn you points; any rule breaking, and you will lose points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the House Cup. I will be back for you shortly; please wait here quietly," and with that all said and done, the woman quickly left.

"It's true then," another voice spoke up once the teacher had left. Anya looked around to see that ther person who had just spoken was a very pale faced with perfectly slicked back, platnium-blonde hair who standing on the other side of the staircase. "What they're saying on the train? Harry Potter has come to Hogwarts."

_'Harry Potter? 'The Boy Who Lived' Harry Potter? Seriously?'_ Anya thought as she leaned back against the railing to try and see him.

"This is Crabbe and Goyle. And I'm Malfoy," the blonde said, moving to stand in front of a boy with very messy dark locks and round glasses that looked tarnished. "Draco Malfoy." At that, the boy beside Harry- a freckle faced redhead- snorted, which brought Malfoy's attention to him.

"Think my name's funny, do you? No need to ask yours. Read hair and a hand-me-down robe? You must be a Weasley," Malfoy sneered and Anya saw the redhead ears slowing start to turn red, almost disappearing against his hair. Malfoy then turned back to Harry. "You'll soon learn that some wizarding families are better than others, Potter. You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there." He held out his hand.

Harry just looked down at the offered hand before replying cooly, "I think I tell the wrong sort for myself, thanks." Malfoy just gave him a look and was probably about to make some sort of comeback when another voice spoke up.

"Dragon Bad-faith," he heard and turned to see the lovely violet-eyed girl standing there.

"What was that?" he asked. Anya looked up from examining her nails, realizing that she had actually spoke her thoughts out loud.

"Oh sorry. I just meant that's your name- well, what it means anyway. You see, the word 'Draco' is the Latin version of the word 'dragon'. As for your last name, it sounds very similar to the French phrase 'mal foi,' which translated to Englsih means 'bad faith'. So your name quite literally translates to 'Dragon Bad-faith'," Anya explained, gaining more than her fair share of stares from the other students around her.

Meanwhile, Draco Malfoy was quite stunned. Although he had pretty much just been humiliated in from of his fellow students, both by the famous Harry Potter and a complete stranger, he could do nothing but just stare at the girl. She was very pretty, with lovely auburn locks that hung so perfectly around her heart-shaped face and sparkling eyes of the most amazing shade of purple. He had honestly never seen anyone so lovely.

As he was about to reply though, the older witch had returned with a roll of parchment in hand and tapped him once on the shoulder before turning to the rest of the new students.

"We're ready for you now. Follow me, please."

,:~:,

The Great Hall was just as wonderful as the rest of the school. Thousands of lit candles floated above the four long tables where the older students all sat, the light reflecting off of the golden plates and goblets. At the opposite end of the hall was another table where the teachers all sat and Anya saw Professor Dumbledore sitting in the center. When the older gentleman saw her, he smiled and sent an encouraging smile her way.

"It's not real, the ceiling," Hermione whispered to Anya who looked up past the candles to see not any actual ceiling but the starry night sky.

"Yeah, I know. It says in _Hogwarts, A History_ that the ceiling's bewitched so that it reflects the sky outside," Anya answered as they kept walking. "You're not the only one who read the books before coming here, you know," she added when she saw the surprised look on the brunette's face. She then brought her attention back to the front to see the teacher from before place a small stool down with an extremely ratted, dirty, and worn out hat resting on top of it.

_'What the hell are we going to do with that?' _Anya thought. _'Don't tell me we're suppose to pull a rabbit out of it or something! How pathetic can you get?'_ Then suddenly, the hat twiched before a large seam opend near the rim and it began to _sing_;

_Oh you may not think me pretty,_

_But don't judge on what you see,_

_I'll eat myself if you can find_

_A smarter hat than me._

_You can keep your bowlers black,_

_Your top hats sleek and tall,_

_For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat_

_And I can cap them all._

_There's nothing hidden in your head_

_The Sorting Hat can't see,_

_So try me on and I will tell you_

_Where you ought to be._

_You might belong in Gryffindor,_

_Where dwell the brave at heart,_

_Their daring, nerve, and chivalry_

_Set Gryffindors apart;_

_You might belong in Hufflepuff,_

_Where they are just and loyal,_

_Those patient Hufflepuffs are true_

_And unafraid of toil;_

_Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,_

_if you've a ready mind,_

_Where those of wit and learning,_

_Will always find their kind;_

_Or perhaps in Slytherin_

_You'll make your real friends,_

_Those cunning folks use any means_

_To achieve their ends._

_So put me on! Don't be afraid!_

_And don't get in a flap!_

_You're in safe hands (though I have none)_

_For I'm a Thinking Cap! _

When the hat was finished with its song, it bowed to each of the four tables in front of it as the applause rang out before going still once again. _'Wasn't expecting that one,'_ Anya thought as she clapped with the rest of the crowd. _'A hat that sings... Go figure!'_

"When I call your names, you will come forth, I will place the sorting hat on your head, and you will be sorted into your houses," announced the woman, who Anya finally knew to be Professor McGonagall. The students began to come up one by one and a few seconds after it was plaed on their head, the sorting hat would shout out the house the student was placed in. Finally, Anya was called.

The sorting hat was extremely large; once placed onto her head, it fell over Anya's eyes and shrouded her in complete darkness. The poor girl nearly jumped right off the stool when she heard someone start talking in her ear.

"Well, well... Ms. Collins. Now you're quite the mystery, aren't you? You're very brave, that much is sure. You're quite a little risk taker, aren't you? There's nothing that you won't try. And you're a very loyal person; you put the well-fair and trust of your friends very high and they can always rely on you and trust that you'll be there for them. Hmm... you're also quite the bookworm? Literature is one of your many passions; enough that if neither music nor dance become your future, you wish to become a writer. And although you get along with practically everyone you meet, there are a few who do not settle well with you and I almost pity those who don't. Now where shall I put you?"

_'Please, just put me somewhere I can actually belong! PLEASE!'_ Anya thought, the urge to twist her fingers nervously beginning to claw at her.

"Where you can belong, hmm?" the hat asked. "Well then... The only place I can think of for you would be... GRYFFINDOR!" Anya grinned like there was no tomorrow as the cheers errupted and the hat left her head. She stood to find that her clothes had taken on the proper colors for her new house, the small crest with the golden lion sitting on her chest. Anya was so excited that when she got to the stairs, she turned around to face the teachers' table and flipped backwards to land perfectly at the bottom, earning herself more cheers. She gave the teachers a sheepish smile before jogging over to the table.

"Hi there," Anya heard two people say as she sat down and she turned around to see two older twin boys with the same ginger-red hair coloring as the Weasley boy, figuring they were all siblings. "Would you like a sweet?" one of the boys offered, holding out an oddly colored candy.

"Fred! George! Don't go starting that again!" a third redhead scolded them. "Do I have to go telling Mum that you were pulling pranks on first years before school even started?" He then turned Anya, pushing his thick, black glasses up on his nose. "Sorry about that. I'm Percy Weasley, and these two trouble-makers are my brothers, Fred and George." He pointed to the youngest who was still waiting to be sorted. "And that is our youngest brother, Ron. He'll probably be in most of your classes, Anna."

"It's _Anya_," she corrected him before turning back to the twins. "And as for you guys, I'd suggest that you'd better think twice about who to prank in the future. I've pulled some of the best pranks in the past year _alone_ then you probably have in your lives combined!"

"Ooh! A fellow prankster!" one of the twins grinned.

"That should be refreshing!" the other answered. "Finally someone for us to pass on our comical knowledge to!" He then held his hand out. "I'm Fred."

"And I'm George," the other twin said as he took Anya's free hand. Anya noticed that the only thing that seperated these twins was that George had a small mole on the side of his neck while Fred had none. _'Now I've got them!'_ After many years of trying to figure out which twin was Emily and which was Irene, Anya wasn't going to make the same mistake again and let them confuse her for the next several years.

"Granger, Hermione!" McGonagall announced and Anya quickly turned back around to see her friend sit down, giving her a thumbs up just as her eyes disappeared behind the sorting hat.

"GRYFFINDOR!" the hat shouted and Hermione skipped down the steps and down the length of the table. Anya grinned and gave her friend a one-armed hug when she sat down.

Neville had also became a Gryffindor, which seemed to please him greatly, though he did receive a few taunts and teases when he ran back to the stool when he realized that he still had the sorting hat on his head. "Way to go Neville!" Anya cheered as her friend came back over, reaching across the table to give him a high five.

The sorting hat continued to place the new students into their houses; mostly between Gryffindor and Slytherin with the exception of a small handful into Hufflepuff and even fewer into Ravenclaw. Draco Malfoy and his 'friends' were put into Slytherin- much to Anya's pleasure- while the famous Harry Potter and his friend Ron joined Anya and the others in Gryffindor.

After the last student had been sorted, Professor Dumbledore said a few words that made no sense what-so ever before food magically appeared on the tables. Anya saw several types of meats, different styles of potatoes, steamed vegetables, plenty of gravy and other sauces, and even mint humbugs. Everything was simply delicious and by the time she was finished with her plate, Anya was quite full... though she still was able to squeeze in a few small pastries along with a bite or two of the most delicious banana ice cream she ever had.

It was halfway though the meal itself that Anya saw something as equally amazing as the rest of the school. About twenty or so pearl-white ghosts came into the Great Hall, some by the floorboards, the higher parts of the walls, or even small cracks in the windows or wooden doors. The best was seeing one ghost suddenly appear by sticking his head through the table and a large plate of chicken wings- just as Ron went to grab one. Anya laughed at the girlish squeal that came out of Ron's mouth.

"Hello Sir Nicholas. Have a nice summer?" Percy asked the ghost.

The cheery smile on Sir Nicholas' face instantly vanished. "Dismal. Once again, my request to join the Headless Hunt has been denied," he- answered as he came out the rest of the way from under the table to show his garb that reminded Anya of William Shakespeare's era, cape and all.

"I know you!" Ron exclaimed, suddenly finding his voice once more. "You're Nearly Headless Nick!"

"I prefer 'Sir Nicholas' if you don't mind," the ghost shot rather curtly.

"'Nearly Headless'?" Hermione asked in a tone that sounded a lot like a scoff. "How can you be nearly headless?"

"Like this," and he pulled at his hair, his head coming nearly clean off his neck save for the few strands of skin and muscle tissue. Anya looked over at her friend to see Hermione's eyes clamped shut and couldn't help the little bubble that escaped past her lips. Seemingly enjoying the reaction he received, Sir Nicholas shrugged his shoulder to get his head back on in place before he floated away.

"Ahern," Anya heard from the teacher's table to see Professor Dumbledore standing again. "Just a few more words now that we are all fed and watered. I have a few start-of-term notices to give you.

"First years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. And a few of our older students would do well to remember that as well." Dumbledore's twinkling eyes flashed in the direction of the Weasley twins.

"I have also been asked by Mr. Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors.

"Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term. Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact Madam Hooch.

"And finally, I must tell you that this year, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death." Anya heard a few people chuckle thinking that it was a joke, but even from her place nearly at the other end of the Hall, Anya could tell the man was being serious.

Then he pulled out his wand and waved it around as thoug he were flicking a fly off the end until a long, gold ribbon came fluttering out of the tip. "Everyone pick a tune and off we go!"

_Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts,_

_Teach us something, please,_

_Whether we be old and bald_

_Or young with scabby knees,_

_Our heads could do with filling_

_With some interesting stuff,_

_For now they're bare and full of air,_

_Dead flies and bits of fluff,_

_So teach us things worth knowing,_

_Bring back what we've forgot,_

_Just do your best, we'll do the rest,_

_And learn until our brains all rot._

Anya finished rather faster than most of the school since she was singing in a more pop/country music sort of tone. After that, Dumbledore sent everyone off to bed.

,:~:,

Anya was sitting by the window beside her bed late that night. The other girls- Hermione, the Patil twins, a few others- had already gone to sleep, leaving Anya alone and to her thoughts. Well, Starshine was sitting beside her, but he could only do so much.

Seeing as there was nothing else for her to do, Anya got up and went to get some paper, ink, and a quill from her trunk before settling back down on the floor and began to write.

_Dear Mom and Dad,_

_ So I finally got some time to write to you guys today._

_ I'm at Hogwarts and it is just wonderful! I swear, it's like I fell back in time to the Renaissance era, it's so beautiful! You'd love it here. The school is this MASSIVE castle that has the most beautiful view of the water front and is surrounded by forestry; trying taking a swim or hike over _here_ Dad!_

_ Anyway, I got into the Gryffindor house along with Hermione and Neville- you remember, the boy that helped us out over at King's Cross? And remember that kid I had read about in my school books, Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived? The kid that defeated the wiarding world's most dangerous wizard of all time, Voldemort? Well, he's here and he's in Gryffindor too. He seems really nice- I haven't really talked to him or anything, so I can't really tell. But he did stick up for his friend, so that makes him ok in my book._

_ So classes are starting tomorrow and I'm so pumped! Can hardly wait to see what they plan on teaching us here for our first day! And I get my first flying lesson tomorrow too! So excited! And don't worry Mom, I'll be careful! Besides; it's the first lesson- I doubt they're going to have us fly anywhere near two two stories high. For all I know, I won't even be able to get my feet up off the ground!_

_ Everything's going well and I can't wait to tell you guys about my first week. Hope to hear from you soon. Take care of yourselves- and that means no exerting yourselves with the store- and tell Irene and Emily I say 'hi'!_

_All my love,_

_Anya_

After folding the letter up into a good make-shift envelope, Anya sealed it and attached it to a friendship cord and tied it to Starshine's leg.

"Take this to Mom and Dad, 'kay?" she whispered to the owl who simply hooted his reply. She smiled and placed a small peck on the top of his feathered head before opening the window and let him take flight. She watched Starshine fly off into the night until he became no more than a speck against the full moon before she closed the window and climbed into bed. That night when she fell asleep, Anya Collins wished for the new day to come faster.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AC: I'm in Gryffindor! I'm in Gryffindor!<strong>_

_**MMM: Of course you're in Gryffindor! How else could you be part of the 'Golden Trio'- or in this case, the 'Golden Quartet'?**_

_**AC: Well I- I mean- shut up! *huffs and walks off***_

_**MMM: 5th chapter will be posted on the 3rd of December.**_

_**Read and Review!**_

_**Nancy (aka megamatchmaker)  
><strong>_


	5. Year 1 Ch5

_**AC: Alright people! There's a new writer in town and her name's Anya Collins! I'm taking charge of this story, and there's nothing that anyone can do about it!**_

_**MMM: *crosses arms and taps foot* Ahem!**_

_**AC: *pales* Whoops! *turns to author* Umm... hi?**_

_**MMM: New writer, huh? So tell me... what's going to happen this chapter?**_

_**AC: Well umm... well, there's... I gotta go! *runs off like Road Runner***_

_**MMM: *laughs* I just love scaring my OCs. *turns to audience* Sorry about that! So this is chapter 5 of When Opposites Attract. Hopefully you'll find it as good as the other chapters have been. I don't own anything from J.K. Rowling's series. I respect her for giving us the greatest books/movies for the past 10 years. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go pull Anya out from under the bed. *walks off***_

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><p><strong>Ch. 5 Flying Lessons<strong>

Anya's mood in the morning could hardly be qualified as cheery; in fact, it couldn't have been any more foul. After finding out that most of her classes would be grouped off with the Slytherins, whom she had learnt was the true feuding house against her own, Anya had to sit by and watch helplessly as the Slytherin's Head of House, Professor Snape- or as Anya now liked to refer to as 'Snape the Snake'- riddled Harry Potter with questions that he couldn't answer.

_'Didn't anyone teach this dickhead some manners?'_ Anya thought hotly. _'How the hell could expect anyone to remember everything from all the books? Well, Hermione probably does, but that's beside the point.'_ As the class ended, everyone was scrambling out of the classroom located in the dungeons. Blinded by anger, Anya didn't even notice where she was going until she collided with something... rather, someone.

"Hey! Sorry about that!" Anya heard and she looked to her left to see Harry Potter himself picking himself off the floor. "You ok?"

"Yeah," Anya answered, accepting the offered hand that helped her up. "Sorry- I wasn't watching where I was going."

"It's alright," he answered with a smile. "You're that girl from last night. The translations?"

"That's me. Umm... I'm Anya Collins," she introduced herself.

"I'm Harry. This is my friend, Ron Weasley." Anya looked over his shoulder, only just noticing the redhead standing there.

"Hello," Ron muttered.

"Hi," Anya greeted with her signature smile even though she figured Ron didn't care whether she did or not. Then she turned back to Harry. "Hey, sorry about Snape chewing you out Harry. Couldn't have been the best way to start at a new school."

"No, not really."

"Come on Harry," Ron spoke up. "We should get going." And with that, the two of them left Anya standing there.

,:~:,

"Eye of rabbit, harpstring's hum. Turn this water into rum," Seamus Finnigan, a fellow first year and Gryffindor chanted as he continuously flicked his wand at his goblet. When he looked inside of it, he shook his head before trying again, his voice raising slightly with each try.

Anya rolled her eyes, taking a bite from her ham and cheese sandwich as she turned back to her book. Luckily for them, most of the first year students had a relieve from the first class right after lunch so they could get ready for their broomstick lesson, and Anya was unwinding with one of her favorite books while Hermione re-read _Hogwarts, A History_. Anya was so deep into her book that she didn't even notice the small explosion that errupted from Seamus' goblet when the spell went wrong and quite literally blew up in his face. She did however notice the loud hooting noices above her head.

There had to be at least nearly a hundered owls flying into the Great Hall. Some had letters and newspapers clamped in their beaks or tied to their legs while others carried small packages. When Anya saw Starshine fly into the hall, she instantly held out her arm for him to land.

"Hey there boy!" she chirped as she stroked his feathered head. "You're back early. Did you go flying non-stop?" The owl simply hooted with obvious pride at his power and endurance as he held out his leg that had the letter and a medium-sized box wrapped in green paper. Anya untied both from his leg and fed him a large chunk of bread from her sandwich. "Go rest boy. You deserve it, my wonderful little owl." And with that, the owl flew back out with all the others that had delivered their parcels.

"Hey look! Neville's got a Rememberall!" some kid exclaimed.

"I've read about those. When the smoke turns red, it means you've forgotten something," Hermione announced, looking pleased at showing off her knowledge. As she said that, the small glass orb started filling up with red smoke.

"The only problem is I can't remember what I've forgotten," Neville admitted.

Just as Anya was about to suggest different ideas of what he had forgotten, Malfoy came walking up behind Neville flanked by his two goons and snatched the Rememberall out of Neville's hands. And as Anya, Harry, and Ron all got up to get him to hand it back- with force in necessary- Professor McGonagall came walking by.

"Just looking," Malfoy sneered as Neville told the professor that Malfoy had taken his Rememberall before he dropped it back onto the table. He looked at Harry and Ron coldly but Anya noticed that when he looked her way, Malfoy's face was softer before he walked away. She was a little miffed that a fight had been avoided, but sat back down none the less and opened her letter.

_Anya sweetie,_

_ Glad to hear everything seems to be going well and you're enjoying yourself. Things are actually pretty calm for now at the store and probably won't pick up until Thanksgiving. Irene and Emily miss you terribly and they hope to hear from you soon personally._

_ Just promise that you'll be careful! I don't like the idea of you flying around on something as big as an oversized pencil that people use to sweep up dirt. I know you probably have to learn it for school, but it doesn't mean that I have to like it._

_ Let us know how things go._

_ Love,_

_ Mom and Dad_

_PS: We sent you a little something that we're planning to sell at the shop. Let us know what you think._

Anya opened the box and was instantly hit with the sweet smell of vanilla and warm butter. A couple dozen vanilla sugar cookies sat inside and she held the box out. "Any of you guys want one?" Neville and Hermione each took a cookie to taste but when Ron reached for one, Harry quickly smacked his hand away.

"She wasn't talking to us," he hissed.

"But I'm hungry," Ron whined.

"You just ate three sandwiches, a plateful of crisps, two apples, and nearly an entire serving bowl of potato salad! How can you possibly _still_ be hungry?" Hermione asked him.

"It's ok Hermione, really," Anya reassured her friend before turning to the boys. "Go ahead you guys. I need more feedback anyway for my parents." As soon as that was said, Ron wasted no time and took five cookies to start while Harry timidly took one.

"These are really great Anya," Neville said as she offered him another. "You're parents are really good cooks."

"Thanks. Good to hear that their title as 'Best Pastries in New York' still holds true," Anya grinned.

"Really?" Ron asked through a mouthful of cookies. _'Can you say gross?'_ Anya mentally cringed before answering.

"Yeah. They own this little bakery shop near our house and it is the most popular place in all of New York City. Practically _everyone_ who likes sweets comes to their shop. You should see it when it comes to the holidays- wall-to-wall cakes and pies, mountains of cookies and cupcakes, and sugary confections as far as the eye can see. And you wouldn't _believe_ some of the elaborate cakes they make; one time they made this cake that was so big, they had to transport it in _three_ delivery trucks. If I could, I'd get Mom and Dad to send some of their lemon-raspberry tarts or their famous 'Death by Chocolate'."

"What's that?" Neville asked.

"Well it's this really simple dessert that's made with chocolate cake, whipped cream, chocolate pudding, and toffee. It's great," Anya answered before happily munching away on a cookie.

,:~:,

Madame Hooch was already waiting outside on the grounds when Anya and the other Gryffindors arrived. The first year Slytherins were already there too, along with twenty or so broomsticks.

"Good to see you, first years," the older witch said, her golden hawk eyes piercing holes in each of them. "Well what are you waiting for? Everyone step up to the left side of their brooms." Anya glanced down at the broom beside her; its handle was surprisingly smooth and looked new compared to the others. _'Come on Anya! You can do this!'_ she thought to herself.

"Stick your right hand over the broom and said 'up'."

"UP!" Everyone shouted. Surprisingly, Anya's broom shot up so fast to her hand that she thought it would have snapped her hand clean off. She looked around to see only a few people had been able to get the broom into their hands, including Harry and Malfoy. Hermione's simply rolled over a few times before going still while Ron's came up to hit him smack in his nose before dropping back to the ground again. After everyone had their broom, Madame Hooch had them all mounting their brooms and corrected their grips so they wouldn't slide off.

"Ms. Collins, you're right hand should be closer to the end of the handle, not your left," she told the young witch. "That's wrong."

"Is it wrong in the sense for people who are right handed?" Anya asked. When Madame Hooch nodded her head, Anya replied, "Well then, wouldn't it be right if I was left handed then?"

Madame Hooch nodded. "Very well then. Now, when I blow my whistle, you kick off from the ground, hard," she instructed. "Keep your brooms steady, rise a few feet, and then come straight back down by leaning forward slightly. On my whistle - three, two-" But before the whistle could even touch her lips, Neville, who was already worried enough as it is about flying, pushed off hard in fear of being the only person left on the ground.

Neville's broom shot up like a cork from a bottle of champagne, rising to almost twenty feet before Madame Hooch could do anything. Anya didn't need to hear the whimpers and screams to know that Neville was scared. And when he looked down and saw the long distance he was from the ground, he slipped sideways and straight off his broom.

_Whack!_ Anya heard the sickening crunch of bones- something she had after some time become very familiar with- and she sprinted as fast as she could over to the heap that was Neville.

"Neville! Are you ok?" she asked him. But before he could answer her- if he even _could_ answer- Madame Hooch came shooing everyone out her way to get to the boy.

"Oh dear, it's a broken wrist I'm afraid," Anya heard her mutter as she helped Neville up. Then she turned to the other students. "None of you is to move while I take this boy to the hospital wing! You leave those brooms where they are or you'll be out of Hogwarts before you can say 'Quidditch.' Come on, dear." Neville, his face tear-streaked, clutching his wrist, hobbled off with Madam Hooch, who had her arm around him.

"Did you see that fat lump?" Malfoy burst into laughter as soon as Madame Hooch was gone. All the other Slytherins joined in.

"Shut the hell up Malfoy," Anya snapped.

"Ooh! Sticking up for Longbottom, huh?" Pansy Parkinson, a snotty hard-faced Slytherin girl teased. "Didn't know you had a thing for fat little crybabies, _Collie_."

"Call me 'Collie' one more time Parkinson, and I'll show you just how much of a _bitch_ I can _really _be," Anya hissed, her hand unconsiously reaching for her wand. She had memorized enough from her books to know a few good hexes to send at the brat.

"What are you going to do about it?" Pansy asked, stomping up to stand less than two feet from Anya.

"Hey whoa! Don't get so close! With a last name like yours, I don't want you around me," Anya smirked. "After all, 'parkinson' is a type of disease in the muggle world, and now I know where they got the name from- seeing your face would definitely kill some brain cells."

"What did you just say?" Pansy snarled.

"Look!" Malfoy said, causing the girls to break apart as he reached down and plucked something out of the grass. "Maybe if the fat lump had given this a squeeze, he'd of remembered to fall on his fat ass." The Rememberall glittered in the sunlight from where it rested in Malfoy's hand.

"Give it here Malfoy!" Harry demanded. Malfoy simply turned around.

"No. I think I'll leave it somewhere Longbottom can find," he tossed the Rememberall up in the air before hopping onto his broom. "How about on the roof?" He had risen up to hover almost level with the topmost branches of the trees on the grounds. "What's the matter, Potter? Bit beyond your reach?"

"Harry no way!" Hermione insisted when she saw Harry get ready to mount his broom. "You heard what Madame Hooch said. You'll get us all into trouble!" But Harry simply ignored her and went after Malfoy. They exchanged a few words but when Harry went to try and snatch the Remeberall from Malfoy's hand as he casually tossed it up and down, Malfoy dodged it before throwing it as far as he could. Harry went speeding off to try and catch it while Malfoy came back down.

Just as he got within about twelve feet from the ground, Anya quickly snatched up a smooth, flat pebble from the ground and flung it in his direction with all her might. It connected with her target, hitting him straight in the middle of the forehead. The force and surprise of the attack had Malfoy lose his grip on his broom and he fell off. Fortunately- as well as unfortunately in Anya's opinion- Malfoy had practically landed already so at best, it looked as though he simply stumbled as he landed. But it was good enough.

As Malfoy walked by her, muttering something about 'bloody hurts', Anya saw Harry flying back down to the rest of the group, the Rememberall safely nestled in his hand. Everyone went to pretty much praise him on the incredible catch until Professor McGonagall came onto the grass.

"Harry Potter! Follow me please," she said and Harry obidiently followed, his head hung low in defeat. Anya turned around when she heard snickering and saw Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle all smiling smugly. Before she knew what she was going, Anya stomped up to Malfoy and slapped him hard across the face.

"You really are a little prick, aren't you?" she hissed at him, ignoring the two towers standing beside her as they cracked their knuckles threateningly. Malfoy simply stared at her, a sick feeling slowly entering his gut at the look she gave him. But before he could say anything else, Anya turned on her heel and pushed her way past his friends to run into the castle to try and find Harry to clear his name.

,:~:,

Turned out that Harry wasn't in any trouble but in fact had been chosen to be Gryffindor's new Seeker for Quidditch. Anya had only read a little about it, but she did remember that it was the most famous sport of the wizarding world; something like basketball mixed with football and baseball, all done on broomsticks.

Other then that, the day was pretty calm... until the four friends found themselves up on the third floor corridor that was forbidden after Harry was tricked into a midnight duel with Malfoy- Ron was there to be Harry's second, Hermione had gone to try and stop the boys from getting into trouble, and Anya went to see the little snot Malfoy get his ass whipped. After running away from Mrs. Norris, the grumpy caretaker's cat, they found themselves a monstrous dog that had to be nearly as tall as a two story house and had _three heads_. After they ran away from _that _and were safely back in the common room, Hermione mentioned something about a trapdoor.

"It's guarding something," she stated as they stood outside the doors seperating the girls' dormitory from the boys. "Now, _if_ you two don't mind, I'm going to bed. Before either of you has another idea to get us killed, or worse _expelled_." Before either boy could say anything, Hermione walked into the girls dormitory and shut the door. Anya simply shrugged before bidding them 'goodnight' and following her friend.

"You know Hermione," she whispered as her friend started getting ready for bed. "You should _really_ sort out your priorities."

* * *

><p><em><strong>MMM: How was that? A little friendly bonding, some excitement, and you even got to throw a rock at Draco, Anya!<strong>_

_**DM: Yeah, thanks a lot Anya! *rubs at mark on forehead***_

_**AC: Maybe I should have thrown it harder, you little wimp!**_

_**DM: As if you'd actually be able to hit me again!**_

_**AC: How about I give you a knuckle sandwich instead? *hold fist up***_

_**MMM: *grabs each by their collar* Alright you two, break it up! You'll have plenty of time to fight with each other later in the series! So save some of it or later! Now go to your dorms and stay there until I say so! *watches as Draco and Anya walk away***_

_**MMM: Really sorry about that! Whew! This romance story will be tougher than I thought it would be! Luckily, I've got plenty of time to sort that out. Don't forget to click on the review button!**_

_**Nancy (aka megamatchmaker)  
><strong>_


	6. Year 1 Ch6

**_MMM: So here's chapter six. As you can see, it's a Halloween chapter. I know it seems pretty bizarre to write a Halloween chapter so close to the Christmas holidays, but what can I say? That's just how the story flows._**

**_AC: I still think it's pretty weird._**

**_MMM: Well how about next time you try becoming a writer on this site? That way, you can write your own stories._**

**_AC: *thinks for a moment* Nah! I'd rather just let you write it and then take credit for it seeing as it's my life._**

**_MMM: But if it's your life, then shouldn't you be the one writing about it? For all you know, I could make something really bad happen soon._**

**_AC: *knocks on author's head* Hello? I go to Hogwarts! Of course bad things are going to happen to me! It wouldn't be a normal day at Hogwarts if nothing bad happened! Besides, if you're following most of the actual story, things are about to_ _start to get _really_crazy!_ **

**_MMM: True. Well obviously, I don't own Harry Potter franchise. If I did, I wouldn't be writing for fanfiction._**

* * *

><p><strong>Ch. 6 Halloween<strong>

Anya had almost completely forgotten about the three-headed dog by the next day. Although she did wish to know what exactly it was that it was guarding past that trapdoor, she figured that whatever it was, it wasn't worth being turned into a chew toy. Meanwhile, Hermione refused to even mention a thing about it and Harry and Ron simply passed it off as a 'simple' adventure.

After she had a quick breakfast in the Great Hall with Neville and Hermione, Anya decided to go for a little jog around the school grounds in hopes to try and clear her head. She figured that the people she passed by thought her to be very odd-looking, dressed in the black track pants and baby blue hoodie with matching tank top underneath, the wires of her headphones swinging like mad as she ran, but she honestly couldn't have cared. It was her weekend and this was how she enjoyed it most of the time back home.

As Anya finished her first lap around the school- which was far bigger than she had originally thought, she figured that maybe she'd go for one more turn before heading up to the library and finish off the essay that was due for Transfiguration on Monday... that is until she collided with a _wall_.

But this 'wall' was actually none other than the giant of a man, Hagrid. Up close- well, from her spot on the floor anyway- Anya could make out almost every knot and tangle in his long dark hair and beard, how everything about him pretty much screamed 'barbarian', and he had to of been at least 8 ft. tall easily. But even with such an intimidating height and rough exterior, Anya couldn't help but feel calm. There was something about his beetle-like eyes gave that sort of happy feeling, like the one you'd get when your dad gave you a piggyback ride or you and your mom got into a food fight with the flour while baking.

"Sorry about that," he said as he picked the young witch up as easily as one would pick up a pillow and set her back onto her feet. "Yeh alright there, missy?"

"Yeah, I'm cool," Anya replied, dusting off her clothes the best she could. "I'm alway bumping into people, it seems lately. Looks like I need to retake my test to drive this flying umbrella." The pair of them started laughing lightly. "Either that or I'll use it as my calling card in the future. I'm Anya Collins."

"Rubeus Hagrid," the giant introduced himself, lightly shaking her hand in one of his dust pan-sized ones. "Keeper of Keys and Grounds of Hogwarts, but just call me Hagrid. So- how'd yeh liking it here so far?"

"I love it here! It's just the greatest! I just wish I could see more animals though. All I've seen lately are cats, toads, and owls, and I heard I have to wait until my third year for my class about magical creatures."

"Animals, ay?" Hagrid asked. "Well I don't have much special, but I do have a dog-"

"Could I see him?" Anya asked. Just as she did however, an enormous black boardhound came running around the corner and charged straight at Anya, easily knocking her over like a set of ten-pins. Then the dog began licking at her face, drool dripping from his mouth and just barely missing her clothes.

"Come off, you dozy dog. That's enough," Hagrid instructed as he pulled the dog off Anya by his collar, allowing her to get back up and wipe the saliva off her face with a hankerchief he pulled out of his pocket. "Sorry about him. He looks all big and mean, but he's actually a bloody coward. Anya, this is me dog Fang."

"Hey boy!" Anya cooed as she held out her hand to the dog. Once he started licking at it, she got closer and started scratching behind Fang's ears. The massive thing simply rolled over and allowed Anya to tickle and scratch at his big belly. "Gosh Hagrid, he's just the cutest thing I've ever seen!"

"I think he's taken a shine ter yeh," Hagrid replied. "He usually don't take kind ter strangers. Last time he nearly bit off the poor chap's arm."

,:~:,

So that was pretty much the extent of Anya's weekends. When she wasn't spending time with Hermione and Neville or the very rare occasions with Harry and Ron, or working up in the school's library on homework, she was at Hagrid's hut- a very small but cozy one room house- and either helped Hagrid around the hut and garden or would play games with Fang when he became to restless for Hagrid to get any work done.

Weeks past by in a blur and before she knew it, Halloween was right around the corner.

Anya loved Halloween with a passion. Something about the day where everything that wasn't normal was considered as normal or and vice versa was just perfect in her opinion. In the past years, she had dressed up in so many different costumes- from her favorite characters from Disney movies like Cinderella and Snow White when she was little to the classic monsters like vampires and zombies. Anya chuckled as she remembered dressing up as a witch last year. Now that she knew all of the things she loved were real, she could hardly wait to see what the school was planning to do. Maybe she could offer help for decorating or something; anything to get out of Snape's class that day.

Unfortunately, things didn't go as well as she had hoped that day. In charms class, they had finally finished with the basics and were starting the more interesting bits like how to make objects fly. Ron was messing up with the spell, waving his arms dramatically and pronouncing the words wrong, and Hermione tried to show him the right way. To put it simple- Ron was _not_ a happy camper when he was shown up by a girl.

"No wonder no one can stand her," Anya heard him tell Harry as she walked behind them to the Great Hall for lunch with Hermione. "She's a nightmare!" Before Anya could say or do anything, Hermione pushed her way past the boys and hurried down the hallway, tears rapidly falling down her face.

"I think she heard you," Harry stated.

"So what?" Ron asked, looking slightly uncomfortable at Hermione's retreating back, though Anya couldn't tell from her place behind him.

Fuming with anger at the redhead, Anya roughly pushed past him; being sure to smack him hard in the back of the head with her hand before she ran off to catch up with her friend.

She found Hermione in the girl's bathroom. The poor thing was crying he eyes out as she sat huddled in the far corner of the room. Dropping her bag beside the nearest cublicle where her friend's bag was, Anya dashed over to her side.

"Come on Hermione," she consoled her friend. "Don't listen to Ron- he's a jackass. Just a little boy who's got a brain the size of an ant's body- hell, even _that's_ giving him too much credit!"

"He's right though," the brunette replied through tears. "I really am a nightmare at the best of times."

"Hermione Jean Granger!" Anya exclaimed in appal. "How _dare_ you even _think_ that little... _monster_ could ever be right? Escpecially about something like _that?_"

"Well I am difficult-"

"So what? Does that mean everyone else on the planet is easy to understand? That they're _perfect?_" Anya interrupted. "Hermione, if that were the case, then everyone on Earth should just be a gray blob or something- exactly the same.

"Look at me for example," she gestured to herself. "If there's one major problem with me, it's that I rarely think about my actions before I do something. I normally don't think about any consequences until after the action is done."

"I guess you're right," Hermione sniffled before a smile creeped its way onto her face. "You do tend to not think about much."

"Hey!" Anya chuckled heartily as she playfully pushed at Hermione's shoulder as she sat down beside her, wrapping her arms around her knees. "Feel better?"

"A bit," Hermione admitted as she wiped at her eyes with the sleeve of her school robe. "But do you mind if we stay here for a little while longer? I don't think I'm ready to put up with Ronald again."

"Perfectly understandable," Anya replied. "Though I've got to say, I think Ron would be more afraid of me right now then anything else." She looked at her friend's face to see utter confusion etched on her face. "I smacked him pretty hard upside the head. He deserved it!" she shrugged at the last part when Hermione's face changed from confusion to shock.

It was probably six o'clock that night when the girls decided to leave the bathroom to go for dinner. But as they got up, the heard the door open and the most foul stench of old socks and other rotting, disgusting things hit them straight on. Quickly slipping around behind the wall that seperated the cubicles from the rest of the bathroom, the girls looked to see a horrible sight.

Standing right in front of their only exit was a troll. Twelve feet tall, with a lumpy body and a boulder for a head, granite grey skin covered in dirt, short legs and long arms dragging a large wooden club behind it. And it saw them.

Hermione was the only one of the two girls to let of a terrified scream as the troll made its way towards them; Anya was silently cursing herself for leaving her wand in her bag. Even if she had incredible speed, she still wouldn't have been able to get to the bag and find the wand inside it before the troll got to her.

"Hermione move!" Anya shouted and she pushed her friend away before dodging in the other direction as the club came down on the spot they were just standing in. "I'll distract it! You go and get help!" she shouted again when she saw that Hermione had the chance to escape when she didn't.

But the troll was a lot smater than it looked; it swung its club again and smashed most of the sinks to block her way so the only means of escape was to pass right beside it.

Suddenly the bathroom door burst open and Harry and Ron came charging in. Wasting no time, Harry jumped up onto the troll's back and tried to cast a spell, but the troll started moving around so much that Harry's arm went swinging and his wand went straight up one of the troll's nostrils.

Meanwhile, Ron took out his wand and with the proper instructions from Hermione- the very ones that he had sneered at earlier that day- he managed to make the troll's club levitate from its hand and up into the air directly above its head before it fell and smacked the creature hard. The troll swayed before falling forwards, the momentum flinging Harry off its back to land right back at Ron's side. It didn't get back up.

"Is it... dead?" Hermione asked as Anya helped her up to her feet.

"Probably just knocked out is all," Anya answered as she lightly nudged the troll's side with the toe of her shoe.

"Ugh! Troll bogeys!" Harry groaned as he pulled his wand from the creature's nose, lumpy grey snot dripping off of it.

"Gross!" Anya gagged, her hand coming up to clamp over her mouth to keep herself from puking. Harry simply nodded as he wiped the snot off onto the troll's pants.

Th door burst open again and all the teachers came storming into the room. Professor McGonagall took one look at the troll and stopped in her tracks. Then she noticed the two students from her house standing beside her.

"Explain yourselves, both of you!" she demanded from the boys. As they both started talking trying to make _some_ sort of story up, Anya nudged Hermione with her elbow and nodded her head in the boys' direction. Hermione quickly understood and nodded in agreement.

"It's my fault, Professor McGonagall," Hermione announced, bringing everyone else's attention to her; the two younger people looking on in shock. "I went looking for the troll. I had read about them and thought I could handle it. Anya came to try and find me and the troll cornered her as well. She tried to fight it off with one of the broken pipes, but it didn't do much. If Harry and Ron hadn't of come and found us, we would probably be dead."

"Well I must say that I am very disappointed in you, Ms. Granger. Five points will be taken from Gryffindor, for your serious lack of judgement," Professor McGonagall said before turning to Anya and the boys. "As for you three, I just hope you realize just how fortunate you are; not many first years can take on a fully grown troll and live to tell the tale." Anya hung her head, waiting for the punishment they were going to recieve. "Five points... will be rewarded to each of you... for sheer dumb luck," McGonagall added before walking out of the room followed by the rest of the teachers.

"P-p-perhaps we should go. M-m-might wake up," Professor Quirrell, the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher suggested to the four students, chuckling meekly as he ushered them out. Anya felt sorry for the guy- apparently he had met up with some vampires or something once and had been a rattling sack of bones ever since.

"Thanks for getting us out of trouble there," Harry thanked the girls as they all made their way to the Gryffindor common room.

"Mind you we did just save their lives," Ron scoffed.

"'Mind you' that if you hadn't of offended Hermione, then she wouldn't have run off, I wouldn't have followed her, and _neither_ of our lives would have needed saving," Anya reminded them.

"What are friends for?" Ron asked sheepishly looking over at Hermione, who simply smiled in return.

_ 'Hmm... I think I hear wedding bells in the future!'_ Anya thought as she saw the exchange between the two. "Ok, let's just admit that pretty much every one is at fault here; Ron for offending Hermione, Hermione for running off, me for running after Hermione, and Harry for... hmm. You know, I can't think of anything wrong that Harry's done. Alright, you're off the hook Harry." They all laughed at this before Anya stopped in front of them all. "Friends?" she asked and held out her hand, palm down.

"Friends," Hermione, Ron, and Harry all replied as they placed their hands on top of hers. And from that night on, the four friends had earned themselves the title as 'the Golden Quartet'.

* * *

><p><em><strong>MMM: Please review!<strong>_

_**AC: Please!**_

_**DM: Please! There needs to be more of me in this story!**_

_**AC: Oh get a life Malfoy!**_

_**MMM: That's enough! *chases after kids***_

_**Nancy (aka megamatchmaker)  
><strong>_


	7. Year 1 Ch7

**_MMM: Alright, now I know th__is chapter is really short compared to the others, but I just couldn`t really find a way to stretch it out no matter how much I tried._**

**_AC: Yeah...Life here is pretty dull around here._**

**_MMM: Tell me about it... At least things will start to really heat up soon!_**

**_AC: Heat up? You don't mean..._**

**_MMM: No! I mean things will start to get a little more dangerous. Now, I don't own Harry Potter or anything else from the series. Anya is my creation._**

* * *

><p><strong>Ch. 7 Quidditch<strong>

By the time the Quidditch season had started, it was nearly in the middle of a very chilly November. Gryffindor`s Quidditch captain and Keeper, Oliver Wood, would normally have Harry practising in secret late in the evening so by the time the first match came around, people would see just how good Harry was. But although it was suppose to be secret practises, it didn`t stop Harry from going through what had happened that night to his friends. Harry was very nervous about his first game, but Anya did her best to help calm him down and it seemed to work perfectly.

If only it wasn`t for that little brat Malfoy. He was always finding ways to try and break Harry`s nerve before the match, talking about things like the bad accidents that had happened to past Seekers in the World Cup. Yeah right! Like anything that miserable little twerp said was true. And whenever he would start talking, Anya felt the desirable urge to punch him so hard in the face that brain matter would fly out the back of his skull.

"Harry, just relax!"Anya insisted Friday night as she and her friends all sat in front of the common room fireplace. Anya had received a large bag of marshmallows and with Hermione`s help, they had transfigured a couple tree branches into perfectly long metal skewers and happily ate roasted marshmallows. "It's going to be fine tomorrow. You'll do great like we all know you will, Gryffindor will win the match hands down, and then we'll all come back to the common room to celebrate. Don't worry about it!"

"Guess you're right," Harry sighed as he got up from one of the overstuffed armchairs. "I think I'll head on up to bed. See you in the morning." And with that, he head up the stairs to the boy's dorm.

Anya waited until she heard the door close before turning to the others. "'Kay you guys. Coast is clear!" Hermione grinned and reached under the couch behind her and tugged out a large piece of fabric, a can of paint, and some brushes. "Alright people!" Anya announced, rolling up the sleeves of her blouse. "Let's get to work!"

It took them nearly two whole hours, but in that short amount of time, a large and perfect replica of Gryffindor's house symbol was painted onto the slightly ruined bedsheet from Ron's bed, along with the words 'Potter for President' right underneath the lion's feet in an elegant script. "Looks great you guys. Good job on the lion Dean. Ok Hermione- do your thing!" Hermione nodded as she cast a spell so that the writing changed colors and the lion moved around. "Perfect!" Anya grinned.

,:~:,

Everyone was already heading to the Quidditch pitch by the time Anya got to the pitch. She would have been there sooner, but her thick red sweater had been taken prisoner by the cat that belonged to one of the girls in her dorm and the cat had been using it as a lining for its basket. Trying to get all the little white hairs off the dark fabric was very difficult- even with magic.

"'Scuse me!" Anya huffed as she pushed her way through the crowd in the stadium to reach her friends. "Thanks for waiting for me guys," she said sarcastically.

"Sorry Anya, but we wanted to make sure we had decent seats," Ron apologized. Then he held something out for her. "Here- thought you might be hungry," he offered with a couple slices of toast with raspberry jam. "Made sure to not take marmalade. I know you don't like that stuff."

"Thanks. Here, take this," she replied as she exchanged the food for the bag with the banner inside it. "Yum!"

"Hello you three!" they heard from behind.

"Hi Hagrid! Glad to see you could make it!" Hermione beamed.

"Wouldn't miss Harry's first game for the world," Hagrid answered.

The loud cheers brought Anya's attention to the two teams coming on to the pitch. She ignored the Slytherins dressed in their emerald green robes and looked for the young boy amongst up Gryffindor scarlet uniforms. "Guys, the banner!" she shouted as she finished off her breakfast. They untangled the massive banner just as the teams got onto their brooms.

Anya couldn't help but laugh as Lee Jordan, one of the Weasley twins friends, kept making personal comments while he announced what was happening in the game. She laughed even harder when Professor McGonagall would scorn him when he would get ready to swear or he lost focus on the actual game during his rant.

The game started going along perfectly. Gryffindor was scoring goal after goal while Slytherin had nothing but a major-fat zero, that is until one of the Bludgers, two brown balls that flew around and would hit players to throw them off track, slammed into Wood and sent him down. And just as Harry went off in one direction, his broom started going crazy and nearly threw him off.

Hermione grabbed the binoculars Hagrid had brought with him and started looking around. "It's Snape! He's jinxing the broom!" she hissed to Ron and Anya when she saw the potions master in the stands, his lips moving as he performed the spell.

"What'll we do?" Ron asked.

"Leave it to us! Come on Hermione!" Anya said and ran down the stairs- taking them two at a time- and through the stands back up on the other side where the teachers' stand was located. "You ready?" she asked the brunette.

"Ready!" Hermione whispered as she slipped her wand out of her pocket and pointed it at the hem of Snape's robes. "_Lacarum Inflamare_." And with that, a small spark shot out of the wand and landed on the fabric.

While Hermione did that, Anya grabbed the small glass jar from her friend to scoop the flame up once it was noticed. But when she reached back, the back of her hand brushed against Snape's pants and a small streak of bright red appeared on her skin. _'Is that blood? How the hell did that get there?'_ Anya thought as she wiped her hand off on her cloak and raced after Hermione.

The girls were about halfway back through the stands when they heard the crowd groan. They stopped at a large cut-out window and saw Harry on all fours on the ground, his broom laying a few feet behind him. As he got up, the poor guy looked ready to be sick as he clutched at his stomach. He cupped his hands in front of his mouth just as something small and gold came popping out of it.

"He's got the Snitch! Harry Potter receives one hundred and fifty points for catching the Snitch!" Jordan shouted happily and Madame Hooch announced that Gryffindor had won the game.

"Go Harry!" the girls cheered along with the rest of the crowd.

,:~:,

After the small celebration in the Gryffindor common room, the four friends decided to go spend some time walking outside.

"I told you that you'd do great Harry!" Anya cheered as she grabbed him in a headlock and started messing up his shaggy hair.

"Yeah yeah. Now knock it off Anya!" he joked as he tried to wrestle her off him which only caused them to fall in a heap on the grass. Anya laughed and screamed as Harry started to tickle her sides causing the poor girl to lose any breath she still had in her. It was only when she started begging for him to stop that he did.

"Anya's right though mate! You were bloody brillant!" Ron said.

"Really well done," Hermione added. All the praise just caused Harry to blush and give a sheepish reply.

"Well done today Harry!" Hagrid's booming voice said from behind them. "And what are yer four up ter?"

"Oh we were just telling Harry how great he was today," Anya replied as she hopped up from the ground. "Would have finished the game sooner if Snape hadn't tried to jinx Harry's broom of course."

"Nonsense! Why would Snape put a curse on Harry's broom?" Hagrid asked as he continued walking while the four students had to practically run in order to keep up.

"Who knows? Why was he trying to get past that three-headed dog on Halloween?" Harry shot back. Hagrid stopped in his tracks.

"Who told you 'bout Fluffy?"

"'Fluffy'?" Ron and Anya asked in shock. "Are you kidding me?" Anya asked.

"That _thing_ has a name?" Herione questioned.

"'Couse he's got a name! He's mine!" Hagrid answered proudly.

"You told me you only had Fang! You said nothing about having a giant dog with _three_ heads!" Anya accused. "And where the hell did you find a dog like _that_?"

"I bought him off an Irish feller I met at the pub last year. Then I leant him ter Dumbledore to guard the-"

"Yes?" the four young students asked eagerly.

"Shouldn't have said that. No more questions! That's top secret, that is!" Hagrid said.

"But Hagrid, whatever Fluffy's guarding, Snape wants to steal it!" Harry accused.

"But why would Snape try ter steal from the school? He's a Hogwarts teacher!" Hagrid answered.

"Teacher or not, I know a spell when I see one," Hermione announced. "You need to keep eye contact and Snape wasn't blinking."

"Yeah! And everyone knows how much he dislikes Gryffindors; especially Harry. Hey, why is that, Harry?" Anya said before turning to her friend who simply shrugged at her question. "Well, I wouldn't put it past him to try something like this. He really is a snake, isn't her? That no-good-for-nothing little jackass!"

Hagrid sighed when he realized that none of them were going to change their opinion. "Now listen ter me- all four of yer! Yer meddlin' in things that yer shouldn't! What that dog is guardin' is strictly between Professor Dumbledore and Nicolas Flamel!"

"Nicolas Flamel?" Harry repeated.

"Who the hell is that?" Anya asked. Hagrid simply walked off, muttering "I shouldn't have said that," over and over again. "Nicolas Flamel... why does that name sound familiar?"

"No idea," Ron replied.

_'Also, I'd like to know why Hagrid would go and call a dog that's like a puppy trapped in a boardhound's body 'Fang' and a MASSIVE, ferosious dog with more bite than bark and three heads 'Fluffy'?'_ Anya thought. _"I mean, who does that?'_

"Well whatever that dog is guarding, Snape was willing to risk an arm and a leg for it. He was bitten on Halloween while everyone was looking for that troll he let in," Harry announced. "That's why he's limping."

"And that explains the blood on his pants," Anya answered. "He must of tried again or something and opened up his wounds."

That night, Anya had a hard time falling asleep. Her mind was buzzing with thoughts about who Nicolas Flamel was and how he was involved with whatever Fluffy was guarding only a few floors below from where she was laying.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AC: Do you know why Snape the Snake hates Harry so much?<strong>_

_**MMM: Of course I do! Anyone that knows the Harry Potter series knows why!**_

_**AC: Well then why does he?**_

_**MMM: *sing-song* I can't tell you!**_

_**AC: *groans* I hate when you do that!**_

_**MMM: Love you too Anya. Well- see you guys next time!**_

_**Nancy (aka megamatchmaker)  
><strong>_


	8. Year 1 Ch8

**_MMM: Chapter eight! Oh, I'm so excited! Now it's really getting good!_**

**_AC: 'Nicolas Flamel & Norbert'? What's that about?_**

**_MMM: You'll see Anya. Don't own HP!_**

* * *

><p><strong>Ch. 8 Nicolas Flamel &amp; Norbert<strong>

Anya wasn't really sure what to think when she came back to Hogwarts after Christmas break. During her two weeks back home for the holidays, she recieved a letter from Ron telling her about how Harry had found some weir mirror one night while he went looking in the Restricted Section for something about Nicolas Flamel. The mirror apparently showed him his dead parents while it showed Ron being Head Boy, Quidditch captain, and holding both the Quidditch Cup and House Cup. Ron then went on about how obsessed Harry had become with the mirror, which scared Anya quite a bit. She worried about her friend, but he seemed to be exactly the same as he was before the break by the time she and Hermione came back.

So when Anya heard that Snape the Snake was going to be referee for the next Quidditch match, her worry only seemed to intensify. After all, if he had been so willing to send Harry to the Hospital Wing at the last game just while he was in the stands, then whose to say he wouldn't try to do worse this time around? But Harry was determined to play- Snape or no Snape- so Anya simply kept her mouth shut as Hermione and Ron did their best to try and convince him othwerwise.

Things just got better and better with each passing day. Since Gryffindor would overtake Slytherin for the first time in years in they won this match, Malfoy was going to any and all lengths to try and mess with Harry's head. At first it was just cruel taunting and crude nicknames being thrown Harry's way- simple stuff that could be brushed off as not able to hear. But then he started pulling some really rotten tricks.

Like two days before the actual game when Neville came hopping into the Great Hall; his legs were stuck together with a Leg-Locker curse.

"Neville!" Anya exclaimed as she quickly jumped out of her seat and rushed over to help her friend. "What the hell happened?" she asked as she draped his arm over her shoulder and helped him hobble his way over to the bench.

"Malfoy." He got me as I was coming out of the library this morning," Neville replied as Hermione started to perform the counter-curse. "Said he'd just learnt it and wanted a test dummy to try it out on." He nodded his thanks when his legs sprang apart.

"Report him!" Hermione insisted. "He can't get away with something like this!"

"I don't want any trouble," Neville answered and Anya noticed Malfoy smirking at the shaking Gryffindor before heading out of the Hall.

"I'll be right back," Anya announced before she followed Malfoy. When she was sure that no one was around, she roughly bodychecked him against the wall before turning him around and pinned him there with her forearm over his throat.

"What the bloddy hell-" he started to say before he started to choke as she applied more pressure to his neck.

"Now I'm only going to tell you this once, you miserable little piece of shit," Anya hissed, her voice practically dripping with venom. "You even so much as _think_ of pulling anything- and I mean _anything_- like what you did to Neville to him or any of my friends again," her free hand came up to within a foot's distance from his face, "and you may just find your eyes..._ clawed_ right out of their sockets.

"Now personally, I don't care... it won't hurt me none the less," she continued carelessly. "But you see, then I'd have to go and get my nails cleaned, and there would be a lot of bullshiting that I'd have to go through before I'd move away, change my name, and they it'll be nothing but tons of paper work for me to do. Now you wouldn't want to put me through all that, now would you?" she finished in a condescending tone before mockingly patting him on the cheek and walked away.

But before she got within five feet from the doors, her friends came barging out of the Great Hall. "What's up you guys?"

"Harry found Nicolas Flamel!" Ron whispered to her when he saw Malfoy standing close by. "And Hermione's remembered something. Oh! Here." He handed her schoolbag over to her. "I grabbed it so you wouldn't forget it."

"Thanks Ron," she smiled before they both ran off after their other friends, both completely unaware of Malfoy watching Anya's retreating form with a sad expression.

,:~:,

Hermione quickly scuttled off the second they all entered the library; buzzing through the room before disappearing around one of the bookshelves. When the others found a small table in the corner and had taken out some of their homework, she came back with a book nearly as wide and as long as her person.

"I checked this out _weeks_ ago for a bit of light reading," she huffed as dropped the book down onto the table, startling everyone within a ten foot radius with the loud thud it made.

"This is _light_?" Ron asked in a sarcastic tone.

"Shut it Ron!" Anya hissed while Hermione glared at him before the two girls started to flip through the book, skimming each page.

"Aha! Here it is! 'Ncolas Flamel is the only known maker of the Sorcerer's Stone'!" Anya whispered and with Hermione's help, she turned the book around for the boys to read. "Right here," she pointed out.

'The ancient study of alchemy is concerned with making the Sorcerer's Stone, a legendary substance with astonishing powers. The stone will transform any metal into pure gold. It also produces the Elixir of Life, which will make the drinker immortal.

There have been many reports of the Sorcerer's Stone over the centuries, but the only Stone currently in existence belongs to Mr. Nicolas Flamel, the noted alchemist and opera lover. Mr. Flamel, who celebrated his six hundred and sixty-fifth birthday last year, enjoys a quiet life in Devon with his wife, Perenelle (six hundred and fifty-eight).'

"A stone the makes gold and stops you from dying?" Harry asked. "No wonder Snape wants it! Who wouldn't?"

"Either someone who's already immortal and rich or a total fruitcake," Anya answered. "Ok, so we've got the 'who', 'what', 'where', and the 'why' is pretty much covered by the 'what'. Only things left to figure out are the 'how' and 'when'."

"'How' and 'when' what exactly?" Ron asked her.

"'When' does Snape plan to try again and 'how' do we stop him?" She looked at the shocked expressions on the other three faces. "Oh come off it you guys! You know as well as I do that we're not just going to sit around and wait for Snake-head to get the Stone. We've got to do something about it!" The others looked a little skeptical, but agreed none the less.

,:~:,

So the day of the match finally came around and Anya was really worried. Although she, Ron, and Hermione has practically memorized every possible protection spell and charm- she even had loan Harry her lucky wristband for the game- they still had to watch out for Snape. The three friends all hoped that the game would end as quickly as it began.

"Ouch!" Ron exclaimed just as the game started and when all three of them turned around to, they saw Draco Malfoy standing there flanked by his idiotic friends.

"Sorry Weasley. Didn't see you there," Malfoy smirked.

"What the hell are you doing here Malfoy?" Anya practically barked. "Shouldn't you be over at the other side of the pitch- you know, where the _snake pit_ is located?" But Malfoy simply ignored her and she huffed before turning to keep her eye on Harry, her knuckles turning white from how tightly she was fisting her hands.

"You know how they choose people for Gryffindor's team?" Malfoy asked a few minutes later when Snape gave a penalty to Gryffindor. "They choose people they feel sorry for. Potter's got no family, the Weasleys have no money-"

"Meanwhile if _you_ were in Gryffindor, you'd be a sinch for the team," Anya interrupted, her eyes never leaving Harry. "_You've_ got no friends, no brains, and no life! Honestly, I don't see why your parents even bothered to keep you alive. Talk about your waste of space."

"That's it!" Crabbe spoke up and roughly grabbed Anya's shoulder. BIG mistake! Several years of martial arts quickly came into action as Anya grabbed him by the wrist and twisted it outwards before using all her strength and flung him over her shoulder. Luckily they were all in the last few rows in back or there could have been a lawsuit on their hands if he went over the railing. Instead, Crabbe landed funny and was out cold.

Goyle was only sligthly smarter then Crabbe- he tried to get her from the front. Anya dodged to the side as he came running at her, grabbed his arm and using the momentum of his charging, she was able to pin Goyle down to the floor and kept him there with her knee against his back.

"You should really keep your _lackeys_ on a shorter leash, Malfoy," Anya snarled up at the blonde while she pulled Goyle's arm further back. "They may just get themselves hurt. Now I suggest that-"

"Anya! Ron! It's Harry!" Hermione shouted as Harry took a dive after a small glitter of gold. Unfortunately for Anya, she lost her concentration on Goyle who broke free and quickly shoved her off him by elbowing her in the face. Anya's head made a rough connection with the back railing and intense pain shot through her skull. And just as Goyle came to attack again, Ron jumped him and Anya got back up to help him.

By the time Harry caught the Snitch, Anya was sporting a terrible headache and a rapidly forming black eye while Ron cheered through a bloody nose, and Crabbe and Goyle were both sprawled out on the floor and knocked out.

"You better get the fuck out of here Malfoy, before I _really _start to get pissed off," Anya growled at the Slytherin. "And be sure to take your _garbage_ with you," she motioned to the two unconcious idiots.

Later that night, after a quick trip to the Hospital Wing with Ron, Anya found herself sitting on the floor in the Gryffindor common room with her friends and her latest Nancy Drew book opened on her lap. Not that she was really reading it, by any means.

Her mind was buzzing with the latest news about Snape. Harry had overheard the potions professor threaten Professor Quirrell about something, but he hadn't been able to hear exactly what. All he heard was something about 'hocus pocus'.

"So you mean to say that as long as Professor Quirrell stands up to him, Snape can't get to the Stone?" Hermione asked. Anya saw Harry nod out of the corner of her eye.

"It'll be gone by next Tuesday," Ron groaned.

,:~:,

But it turned out that the frightened dark arts professor was braver then he let on. Although he did seem paler and dangerously thin for his health, he didn't look like he had cracked under the pressure as the weeks went on. And judging by Snape's extremely sour mood, he was no closer to figuring it out himself.

Meanwhile, Harry, Ron, and Anya did their best to try and boost Quirrell's confidence. Harry would give him encouraging smiles whenever they passed by the professor while Ron would tell people off when they made fun of his stutter, and Anya sent sweet boxes and anonymous letters.

But Hermione's mind was too preoccupied with her studies to really care about the Sorcerer's Stone. She would constantly be nagging at the others to do the same thing, but Anya would grow bored and stop within the first twenty minutes.

_'It's not like I haven't already memorized half of this stuff already,'_ Anya thought as she watched her friends scribble vigorously in notebooks _'I may be a Yankee, but that doesn't mean I'm lazy!'_ She just shrugged as she began to draw the first thing that popped into her head; the square-shape of McGonagall's glasses in cat form, a floating feather, a dog...

"That's it!" Anya suddenly exclaimed, causing her friends to jump out of their seats. "Sorry, but this is important; we need to go see Hagrid tonight."

"Why?" Ron yawned as he closed the thick volume of _One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi_. "Can't it wait until tomorrow? I'm beat."

"No Ron. It can't wait. I think I may have figured something out about the Stone!" Anya whispered as a group of students passed by the table. "Come on!"

After sneaking and dodging the teachers and ghosts that patrolled the halls, the four young Gryffindors rushed along the school grounds to Hagrid's hut.

_'If he doesn't answer in the next ten seconds...'_ Anya mentally said, her knuckles becoming sore as they rapped against the wooden door. It wasn't like Hagrid to take this long even if he was asleep, nor was it like him to have all the windows closed shut and covered.

When the door did open, the kids were smothered by the intense heat that came flooding out of the hut and Hagrid stood there dressed in a bright-colored apron and oven mitts.

"Hagrid, we need to talk," Anya began.

"Sorry, but I'm in no fit state ter entertain today," he cut her off. But as he went to close the door in their faces, they all shouted the words, "we know about the Sorcerer's Stone!" and he let them in.

"We think that Snape's going to steal the Stone, Hagrid," Harry said as they sat at the table.

"Snape is one of the teachers _protectin'_ the Stone," Hagrid announced.

"Wait a sec! What do you mean by 'one of the teachers'? Who else?" Anya asked as she shrugged off her sweater, glad to have worn a light shirt underneath.

"Of course! There are other things guarding it aren't there? Spells and enchantments?" Hermione asked.

"That's right. And no one goin' ter get past Fluffy," Hagrid agreed. "Ain't a soul knows how- 'cept for me and Dumbledore. I shouldn't have told yer that..." he added, once again saying more than he should of.

But as Anya was about to make another comment about it, she heard something crackling in the fireplace. She and the others watched as Hagrid reached his gloved hands into the black cauldron and plucked something out, juggling the hot object ever so gently as he brought it to the table.

Anya would have thought the egg was a late night snack for Hagrid- if it weren't for the fact that it was at least ten times bigger than your average egg and pure black. Not to mention it was _moving_.

"What is that?" Hermione asked as she leaned closer to the object, only to be pulled back by Anya who shook her head as a warning to stay away.

"Well that is... uh... well, it's-," Hagrid stuttered.

"I know what that is!" Ron said with amazement as he looked at the egg. "But how did you get one Hagrid?"

"Well I won it off a stranger I met at the pub. He seemed awful glad ter get rid of it, as 'matter of fact," Hagrid replied. And just then, the egg began to crack before it completely shattered, spraying the occupants of the room with the remains of the shell.

_'A dragon?'_ Anya thought as she stared at the baby reptile. It was pitch black like its egg had been, with large spiny wings, a large snout, and bright orange eyes. Something about it reminded Anya of a stuffed toy she once had as a child though she knew it was a far cry from being as cuddly and harmless.

"That's a Norwegian Ridgeback," Ron announced. "My brother Charlie works with these in Romania."

"Uhh... Hagrid?" Harry spoke up. "Are you sure it's such a good idea to have a dragon in your hut?" The question made Anya grow pale. A newborn, fire-breathing dragon in a small, wooden house? Talk about your accident waiting to happen.

But Hagrid wasn't listening to them. He kept going on about how 'Norbert' was so cute and he 'knew his mummy'. And when Hagrid went to tickle the baby's neck, it hiccuped and a small cloud of fire came out of its mouth and singed Hagrid's beard.

"'e just needs some trainin' up, is all," Hagrid reassured them as Anya went to get a wet cloth for him. "Who's that?" he suddenly asked, looking towards the window.

Harry and the others turned just in time to see a head of bleach-blond hair run away. "Malfoy," Harry replied.

,:~:,

The four friends slipped back into the castle not long after the spotted Malfoy outside Hagrid's hut.

"This is so not good," Anya whispered as they walked through the dark halls. "Hagrid's got a newborn dragon in his place, and it'll be only a matter of time 'til Norbert burns the place down."

"And what's worse is that Malfoy knows," Ron added.

"I don't understand," Hermione admitted and Anya had to fight the urge to roll her eyes. "Is that bad?"

"It's bad," Harry answered, stopping in his tracks as he did. When the others did the same, they turned to see exactly what he was staring at and saw Professor McGonagall standing there in a plaid housecoat with Draco Malfoy standing right beside her.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AC: Malfoy ratted on us? I can't believe that little brat!<strong>_

_**DM: *scowls* I'm standing right here, you know!**_

_**AC: So? Doesn't make you any less of a brat, now does it?**_

_**MMM: Read and review please! Or I may have to hold the next chapter hostage until you do! **_

_**Nancy (aka megamatchmaker)**_


	9. Year 1 Ch9

**_MMM: So this is chapter nine. Now let's see what'll happen when the Golden Quartet has to face a detention... with Draco Malfoy._**

**_DM: Hey! What's wrong about me?_**

**_AC: Do you want it in alphebetical order or in order of importance?_**

**_DM: Shut up!_**

_**HP: Leave her alone Malfoy!**_

_**DM: Make me, Potter!**_

_**MMM: Boys! Stop fighting! I've had enough of this between you! God, I can't wait 'til you two start to get along.**_

_**DM & HP: WHAT?**_

_**MMM: Well when I decide that it's time for the loving relationship between Draco and Anya to bloom, you two will have to put aside your differences at least for the sake of you girlfriend/friend.**_

_**AC: Please guys? Do it for me? *bats eyelashes innocently***_

_**DM & HP: *huffs* Fine...**_

_**MMM: Good boys... Now to those who want to read this story, let's get it started!**_

_**AC: Megamatchmaker doesn't own the Harry Potter franchise!**_

* * *

><p><strong>Ch. 9 Forbidden Forest<strong>

_'This could not have been worse,'_ Anya thought miserably as she and her friends stood in front of McGonagall's desk, Malfoy off to the side. She thought he would have been happier with the fact that he just squealed on four students from his rival house but when she turned to look, she noticed that he looked almost worried. _'Probably just worried about himself, I bet.'_

"Nothing, and I repeat nothing, gives a student the right to waltz around the school in the dead of night," the Head of Gryffindor house began. "And therefore as punishment for your actions, fifty points will be taken."

"Fifty?" Harry asked appalled.

"Each," she replied. "And to ensure that you will not do it again, all five of you will receive detention." This caught Malfoy's attention.

"I'm sorry professor, but perhaps I heard you wrong. I thought you just said 'the five of us'."

"No, you heard me correct, Mr. Malfoy. As honorable as your intentions were, you too were out of bed after hours," McGonagall assured him, causing Anya and her friends to grin with satisfaction. "You will join your classmates in detention Friday evening. Now off with you all. Back to your dormitories." And with that, she dismissed them.

,:~:,

The next few days were non-stop torture. Everyone in Gryffindor quickly learnt about the two hundred points that had been lost and who had lost them, earning Anya and the others more than their fair share of glares. Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs turned against them since Slytherin was back in the lead for the House Cup while the Slytherins themselves congratulated them for it. Meanwhile, teachers were piling the homework on the students like it was going out of style and reviewing everything from the year in the one hour periods they had. By the end of each day, Anya's back was completely shot lugging around her heavy bag and she was ready to crawl into bed and sleep for a week.

But right after dinner Friday night, Mr. Filch came by and led Anya, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Malfoy outside on the grounds for their detention. He also was going on and on about the old days and when it came to detention, the kids were hung by their thumbs or knees in the dungeons. Anya was a little creeped out by it, but she refused to let the miserable old fart know it.

Filch brought them over to Hagrid's hut and Anya heard Hagrid shuffling around outside. When they turned around the corner, she saw him standing there with Fang at his feet while he tightened the string of a crossbow.

"You'll be serving detention with Hagrid tonight. He's got a little job to do inside the Dark Forest," Filch said in a cheerful manner.

"But students aren't allowed!" Anya couldn't help but roll her eyes at Malfoy's pathetic whining. Did that kid ever shut up? "And there are werewolves and things in there!" Filch just smiled and said 'nighty night' before slinking back off towards the school.

"Hagrid... what happened with the drag- I mean, with Norbert?" Anya asked when she noticed his red eyes.

"Dumbledore sent 'him off ter Romania ter live in a colony," he replied."I just worry about 'im. 'e's only a baby after all!" Any said nothing and handed Hagrid a tissue she had in her pocket. He dabbed at his eyes and handed it back, the sorrow in his eyes replaced with a look of determination.

"Alright then... y'all got yer wands? Good. Let's go."

The small group walked for about thirty minutes, the only sound being the twigs and dried leaves crunching under their weight. Shadows moved in the distance and Anya thought more than once that someone was watching them in the darkness.

When they finally had stopped, the surroundings had become even more dreary and frightening. Anya huddled closer to her friends as Hagrid bent down to examine something. When he stood back up and turned around, the tips of his fingers were colored with a thick silver liquid.

"What is that?" Ron asked with the slight tinge of nausea in his voice.

"What we came for," Hagrid replied. "That's unicorn blood, that is. I found one dead a couple weeks ago. Now this one's been hurt bad by something." He was cut off by the screeching of an owl somewhere which caused the five students to jump out of their skin. "So it's our job ter go and find the poor beast- maybe even put it down if that be the case.

"Now Ron and Hermione, you'll come with me," Hagrid announced. "And Harry, Anya- you'll go with Malfoy." Anya gave a quiet groan at her luck. Sure, she'd be with at least one of her friends, but she was also left with one major pain in the ass. "I'm sorry you two, but it's just that Malfoy will have a 'arder time scaring you," he added quietly.

"And I can always use my Yankee street talk to keep him in line, right?" Anya joked back.

"Ok, then I get Fang," Malfoy said, noticing the canine's sharp teeth while ignoring the talk about him.

"Fine. But go so you know; he's a bloody coward," Hagrid replied, causing the blonde to look back at the dog with a grimace. "Alright you lot. Stay close ter the path."

,:~:,

"Just wait 'til my father hears about this!" Malfoy hissed. He had been doing nothing but complain since the group split up and it was slowly driving Harry and Anya insane. "This is servant's stuff!"

"Oh yeah? Well tonight it's detention stuff, so put a sock in it Malfoy," Anya snarled, losing concentration on her wand and the light extinguished. "Damn it! _Lumos!_" she muttered and the light came back.

"If I didn't know any better Malfoy, I'd say that you were scared," Harry mocked the blonde. Unfortunately for him, it only worked to infuriate him.

"Scared? I'll have you know that nothing scares us Malfoys! We are purebloods and there is nothing that we can't do! When I get back to the school, I'm contacting my father and telling him about all this, and you can bet he'll have that oaf Hagrid fired before the week is up!"

"Look Malfoy!" Anya snapped as she turned back to the Slytherin and stomped up to within a foot's distance. "I personally don't give a rat's ass if your dad was the damn King of England! Because right now what I'd really like to do is hog-tie and throw you in a ditch somewhere and just let one of the creatures in the forest eat you- though I doubt they'd want something as slimy as you.

"The only reason we're in this mess is because you couldn't keep your damn trap shut. So how about you actually try that so we can finish this and get back to the school so I don't have to see your sorry face any more than I have to!" she finished.

Harry was shocked at her outburst but realized that there was only so much patience before a person could lash out and Anya had a lot on her plate.

Earlier that morning, Anya had received a letter from her parents stating that her father had hurt himself while unloading a delivery truck and was being kept in the hospital for the week while his leg healed enough before he could leave. That along with her school work and worrying about the Stone, Anya was slowly cracking under the pressure of trying to fit in this world all on her own. She may of had her friends with her, but he knew she craved the comfort of a mother's hug- something he often found himself wishing for.

Meanwhile Malfoy was unsure of what to do. Yes, he knew that this was no one's fault but his own and yes, he knew that they were as uncomfortable with this situation as he was. But when he had sneaked out of the castle himself and saw the famous do-gooder Harry Potter out past curfew, he wanted to make him regret embarassing him the way he had. It was only when the Boy Who Lived came back into the school that Malfoy realized Anya was with him.

He hadn't meant to get her into trouble. In fact, there was something about her that intrigued the Slytherin. Perhaps it was her vibrant personality he saw everyday, or maybe the way she could always take whatever was thrown at her and twist it around to where she could find a positive outlook on it. But whatever the case may have been, the one thing he knew for sure was that he looked forward to seeing this violet-eyed American girl each morning. He just didn't know why.

When Malfoy said nothing, Anya sharply turned on her heel and started walking away, wiping her eyes as angry tears began to fall. She heard the boys and Fang race to catch up to her but she didn't notice where she was walking and she stepped into a small puddle. More specifically; a small silvery puddle of unicorn blood.

Anya raised her wand to shed some more light and she noticed a small trail of blood splatters on the forest floor. "Hey guys... I think I found something," she said as she bent down to examine the puddle she just stepped in. "Looks like it's fresh; maybe less than twenty minutes ago."

"Great work Anya," Harry complimented as he walked ahead, climbing down a steep slope to follow the tracks. "Give me your hand- it's pretty slick down here." He held out his hand to his friend and helped her down safely, unaware of the glare that came at him from the third member of their party.

They continued to follow the trail of blood for a good fifteen minutes until they came to a small clearing. The soft moonlight gave the area a ghostly feel as it covered everything in a blue glow. And laying against a fallen tree that was covered in rot was the unicorn, its white body still with death.

Anya couldn't help but feel sorrow for the poor creature. The legs all stood out at odd angles from when it fell and even from this distance she could make out the pained expression on the unicorn's face. She hated to see something so innocent and pure suddenly struck down by the hand of something else.

But what was it exactly that could have done this? A werewolf? No; a unicorn was too fast for even the likes of a werewolf to catch it. But that would mean that if a werewolf hadn't hurt it, then it must of been... she could even fanthom thinking that one of the human race would want to hunt and kill such a lovely creature.

"Maybe we should bury it," Anya suggested. She could easily transfigure some long branches into shovels.

"Or maybe we should-" Harry began to say as he stepped forward towards the creature only to stop.

Because at that moment, a hooded figure came out from the shadows surrounding the clearing and made its way to the dead unicorn. Harry, Anya, and Malfoy all stood there stunned and watched as the thing leaned down and lathed onto one of the many wounds that mangled the animal's body and _drank its blood._

"AAAAAARGH!" Anya jumped as the scream tore from Malfoy's mouth before he turned and bolted out of clearing and back the way they had all came, Fang close on his heels. When she turned to tell Harry that they should do the same, she found him doubled over, his hand clamped tight to his forehead. Meanwhile the hooded figure rose from beside the dead animal it had just been feasting on- the silvery blood dribbling down its chin- and began stalking towards the two first years.

_'I have to protect my friend,' _Anya thought as the adrenaline began to flow through her. Leaping in front of her fallen friend, she raised her wand and shouted, "leave him alone!" But the figure swung its arm out and pushed Anya out of the way, her wand falling from her grasp as she reached out to avoid hurting herself when she fell. When she turned to look, the figure was standing right before Harry whom had back away only to trip over tree roots.

"Harry, look out!" Anya cried but the words died on her lips as the sound of hooves thundered.

A centaur came flying into the clearing directly over Harry's head and it charged at the hooded figure. It stood on its hind legs and kicked out at the black shape. The figure's arms swung wildly in an attempt to fend off the centaur until it realized it would be defeated. Then it turned and flew off into the darkness.

"Anya! Anya, snap out of it!" Anya only then realized that she had been staring off after the figure. She turned to her friend who was shaking her shoulder. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah... fine..." she gasped. "You?"

"I'm alright." Harry then turned to the centaur as he helped her up. Everything about the centaur was dark except for its eyes; they were the startling color of pale blue ice crystals. "What was that?"

"Harry Potter, you and your friend must leave the forest at once. It is far too dangerous at this time- especially for you."

"But what the hell was that thing?" Anya asked as she picked up her wand.

"A monsterous creature, mi'lady. Drinking the blood of the unicorn shall keep you alive even if you are an inch from death, but at a terrible price. To slay something so pure as a unicorn to save one's self, that from the moment the blood touches your lips, you would have a cursed life."

"But who would want that kind of life?" Harry wondered.

"Can you think of no one?" the centaur asked. The two students thought for a moment and they seemed to both realize the answer at the same time.

"You mean that _thing_ that killed the unicorn and drank its blood- that was-" Anya went to say but was cut off again for the second time that night.

"Harry! Anya!" Hermione's voice shouted as she, Ron, Hagrid, and Malfoy all came running into the clearing.

"Hello Firenze," Hagrid greeted the centaur. "See you met our young Mr. Potter and Ms. Collins. You alright you two?" he asked the kids who both nodded.

"Harry Potter, this is where I leave you," Firenze addressed. "You're safe now. I wish you luck."

"Thanks for saving us there," Anya said to the retreating centaur who simply nodded his head before disappearing into the night.

"Thank goodness you're alright!" Hermione breathed as helped them them climb out of the clearing.

"Ow!" Anya grimaced as a sudden flash of pain shot through her palms. She looked down to see them covered in small cuts and scrapes from the tree bark and rocks she had landed on earlier. The adrenaline of the night had taken her mind away from everything else other than protecting Harry and herself but now that the danger was gone, the adrenaline was quickly wearing off.

"Let me see," Hagrid said as he pushed forward to examine the many marks along her hands. "We better be getting back ter the castle so yer can take care of those. They ain't serious, but they could get infected." She nodded with a small whimper and followed the half-giant and her friends back to the castle, never noticing the concerned look on a certain blonde's face.

,:~:,

_'If I go anywhere near that Hospital Wing again, it'll be too soon,'_ Anya thought miserably as she climbed through the portrait hole and into the Gryffindor common room. Madame Pomfrey had quickly taken care of the cuts and stitched the slightly deeper gashes. Now her hands looked like something in a mummy movie.

When she entered the common room, she noticed her friends were still awake. Ron and Hermione were sitting in large chairs on opposite sides of the fireplace while Harry was pacing back and forth in from of the mantlepiece.

"What's with him?" she whispered to Hermione, nodding her head in the direction of the dark-haired boy.

"He's been going on about You-Know-Who," the brunette replied.

"Oh for God's sake Hermione!" Anya huffed in frustration as she plopped down onto the couch. "Don't tell me that _you're_ afraid of saying Voldemort's name!"

"Don't say that word!" Ron begged in terror as though saying the name out loud would call said wizard to them.

"Grow a pair, Ron!" Anya hissed back, the activities of the day finally setting in and draining her of what little energy she had left. She knew she shouldn't have snapped at her friends the way she had, but when she was tired she would often tend to not really pay attention to what comes out of her mouth. And she was _really _tired.

"You guys don't understand though," Harry spoke up for the first time since Anya arrived. "Snape wants the Stone for Voldemort. With the Stone, Voldemort will grow stronger and... he'll come back to finish the job he started ten years ago," he finished as he sat down on the couch with Anya.

"But we're forgetting one important thing," Hermione reminded the others. "You-Know-Who always feared Dumbledore so as long as he's around, You-Know-Who won't be able to touch you Harry."

Harry thought about it for a moment before he gave a reluctant nod. It didn't take a mind reader to tell that he wasn't as convinced as Hermione was. Anya gave him a gentle pat on the back before she hoisted herself from the couch and bid her friends good night as she made her way up the stairs to the dorm room.

That night, Anya's dreams were plagued with black hooded figures leaving trails of fire and death in their wake.

* * *

><p><em><strong>MMM: Well, I hope you all liked it! And don't worry about Anya's dad. He'll be fine and back on his feet before the end of the year.<strong>_

_**AC: Thank God!**_

_**MMM: Don't you mean 'thank Merlin'? I believe he is suppose to be the wizard equivalent of God.**_

_**AC: That may be, but I've spent my entire life as a Christian so if you don't mind, I'd rather keep the beliefs I was raised with.**_

_**MMM: Perfectly understandable.  
>Well, please read and review!<strong>_

_**Nancy (aka megamatchmaker)  
><strong>_


	10. Year 1 Ch10

**_MMM: Chapter ten! Hmm... wonder what'll happen in this..._**

**_AC: You mean you don't know?_**

**_MMM: Well yeah I know, but it's not like I can go and _tell_ people what will happen! If I do, then what would be the point of me writing this?_**

**_AC: *grumbles* Whatever. *stomps off*_**

**_MMM: Don't own HP series. J.K. Rowling does!_**

* * *

><p><strong>Ch. 10 Trapdoor<strong>

Anya was amazed that she had been able to make it through final exams alive. Written papers, actual testing of spells and charms, and potion reviews all in stiffling hot rooms with closed windows didn't help. After the last test for History of Magic, Anya was close to chucking her bag into the first fireplace she saw, crawl into bed and never come out again.

And what exactly should she worry about anyway? From the looks of it, Snape was never going to get to the Stone even if he could and Professor Dumbledore wasn't going anywhere anytime soon so her friend was safe.

At least so she thought. Anya would often find Harry sitting with his hand clutching at his head where his scar was. He'd shrug it off as a headache but she knew that it must have something more to do with a simple ache.

"I always heard that end of year exams were frightful, but I found it rather enjoyable," Hermione laughed as the four friends made their way out of the school to enjoy the weather.

"I'm just glad we don't have to study anymore," Anya sighed, looping an arm over Ron's shoulders- well as best as she could- and yanked him down to give him a noogie. "Now we wait for the real terror to strike; grades. Right Ron?"

"Lay off!" he growled playfully as he pulled away and gave her a look. She simply smiled and turned to look at Harry.

"Hey Harry- don't look so cheerful," she teased, but the tone in her voice held no real emotion.

"My scar... it keeps burning," he hissed as he massaged at the lightning-shaped mark. "I think it's a warning- danger's coming."

"What danger?" Hermione asked. "Snape can't get to the Stone because he doesn't know how to. Hagrid himself said that no one could get past Fluffy and neither he nor Professor Dumbledore would go telling anyone how."

Harry stopped in his tracks and Anya looked to see that they were outside on the grounds near Hagrid's hut. The part-giant was sitting outside playing a small wooden flute while his bloodhound laid in the shades.

"Of course," Harry whispered as he began to walk again- more like run, in Anya's opinion. "Don't you think it's a bit odd that what Hagrid wants more than anything is a dragon, and then a stranger turns up and happens to have one? How many people have dragon eggs at hand? Why didn't I see it before?"

Hagrid looked up as he heard the four Gryffindors run up towards him. "Hullo you lot. Finished yer exams? Want something ter drink?"

"Not now Hagrid. We need to ask you something important," Harry cut off Ron. "Who gave you the dragon's egg? What did he look like?"

"I dunno. He kept his hood up the whole time," Hagrid answered.

"But you must have talked with him," Anya spoke up. "What did you guys talk about?"

"Well let's see... he wanted ter know what kind of creatures I looked after. I told him about Fang and Fluffy and that a dragon wouldn't be a problem."

"Well did he seem interested in Fluffy?" Harry asked.

"'Course he was interested in Fluffy!" Hagrid scoffed. "How many three-headed dogs do yer meet even if yer in the trade?

"But I told him the trick with any beast is ter know how ter calm him. Take Fluffy for instance; play a bit of music and he falls straight ter sleep!"

"Please tell me you didn't tell the stranger that!" Anya begged the game keeper. But she didn't stick around to listen when her friends all raced back to the school, ignoring Hagrid's shouting.

The kids tried to find Professor Dumbledore so that they could warn him about the safety of the Stone, but they learnt that he had been called off to London for 'urget business'. Anya and the others were positive that Snape had been the stranger Hagrid met and had sent the letter to get Dumbledore out of the school.

"So now what do we do?" Hermione asked as they all climbed through the portrait hole into the common room.

"We're going through the trap door- tonight," Harry replied.

,:~:,

Anya and Hermione waited until they were sure that the other girls in their dorm were sound asleep before they climbed out of bed and changed into their regular clothes. Then they waited until they heard a very faint knock against their door and slipped out to follow Harry and Ron.

"What was that?" Anya whispered when she landed on the last step to the common room. She listened for a minute before hearing the sound of croaking. And resting on the arm of one of the large chairs was Trevor.

"Trevor, shh! Go, you shouldn't be here!" Ron hissed at the toad as though it would obey his command.

"Neither should you," a voice spoke up causing the four friends to jump. Neville Longbottom stood up from his hiding place in the chair and stood before them. He would have been slightly more threatening if he wasn't dressed in bright blue pjs with cartoons all over them. "You're sneaking out again, aren't you?" he accused them.

"Neville, you have to understand-" Anya tried to reason with her friend. With each passing second, Snape could be getting closer to the Stone of he hadn't gotten to it already.

"No! You'll get Gryffindor into trouble again! I'll- I'll fight you!" Nevile held his fists up.

"I'm really sorry about this Neville," Hermione told him as she took out her wand. "_Petrificus Totalus!_"

Snap! Neville's arms came tight against his sides, his legs clamped together, hisjaw jammed shut, and his whole body became as stiff as a board. He teetered for a moment before falling backwards. Anya ran to catch him before he hit the ground and she laid him out gently. His eyes- the only thing that did move- darted around in horror.

"Oh Neville," Anya sighed. "You really should have just listened to us," she whispered before following her friends out the portrait hole.

Walking under Harry's special invisibility cloak was not easy with three other people and it was even more challenging when they had to dodge staff members in the halls.

Getting up to the third floor corridor was very tricky. Peeves, the school's annoying poltergeist, had been hovering outside the door to Fluffy's room, loosening carpets to trip people. But thanks to Harry and his keen skills of mimicking voices like the Bloody Baron's, they were able to scare him off.

Fluffy began to growl the second the door had closed behind the four friends. Anya wasted no time as she pulled out a small flute she had tucked into her pocket and began to play a composition she had written hereself. The monstrous dog's eyes drooped before it fell over as it drifted off.

"Keep playing," Ron warned her as he and the others slipped out from the cloak and began pushing at the large paw covering the trapdoor. Anya continued playing as they opened the door and each dropped down into the dark, not even stopping when she herself jumped.

Anya landed on something damp and soft, like wet pillows. She looked around the dimmly lit room to see she hand landed not on pillows but a very large plant with hundreds of vines.

"Lucky for us this plant thing was here," Ron stated. But a second later, Harry let out a shout and it was only then that Anya noticed the plant was _moving_. When she tried to get back up, she found it impossible when a few of the vines had wrapped around her ankles.

"Stop moving. This is Devil's Snare," Hermione instructed the group as they continued to struggle against the plant. "If you don't relax, it'll only kill you faster."

"Kill us faster?" Anya gasped as her arms were tied. "Talk about relaxing Hermione!"

The brunette merely gave her a look before she slid down _into_ the Snare. "Hermione!" the boys shouted; Anya could only gasp as the monstrous vegetation began to wrap around her throat. "Now what do we do?"

"Just relax!" they heard Hermione's voice from underneath. "Do as I say, trust me!"

Anya took as much of a breath as she could before closing her eyes and allowing herself to reached a sort of meditating state. She felt the plant move out from underneath her before she fell. She tried to straighten herself out but when she hit solid ground, her right foot twisted under her weight with a crunch.

"Ow! Ow, ow, ow!" Anya whimpered as she clutched at her ankle, ignoring the other girl beside her. She heard another thump and turned to see Harry pick himself off the floor.

"Anya, are you alright?" he asked as he wobbled over to the girls.

"I think she may have broke her ankle," Hermione told him. Anya could only nod. "Wait, where's Ron?"

"He's still up there," Harry said. Anya could hear muffled shouts from above. "He's not relaxing is he?"

"We've got to do something! I reember reading something in Herbology... um, 'devil's snare, devil's snare. It's deadly fun... but will sulk in the sun!'" Hermione recited. "That's it! They hate sunlight! _Lumos Solem!"_

A bright light errupted from the end of Hermione's wand and a second later, Ron's girlish screams could be heard over the roar of the dying plant as he fell down through it. Unfortunately, he landed on Anya.

"Ow! Ron, get off!" Anya whimpered again as his weight began to settle over her injured foot.

"Sorry," he muttered. "Thanks Hermione!" he called over to the brunette.

"Come on you guys, we need to keep moving." Anya grimaced as she tried to hoist herself up, but she knew Ron was right.

"But Anya's hurt!" Hermione shouted

"We'll deal with that later," Anya bit out. Her friends looked at her oddly. "Come on you guys! Forget about me, alright? Right now our main focus is the Stone and stopping from Snape getting out of here with it!" Her friends were reluctant to bring their injured friend into danger but she had been able to convince them that it was no safer there. So Harry and Ron helped Anya walk as they worked to make it up a small flight of steps to another door. When they opened it, they all heard a very faint sound of fluttering wings.

"I've never seen birds like these before," Hemione stated as she took over Harry's position and helped Anya limp across the room.

"They're keys," Anya noticed as one glinted in the moonlight. "And how much would you bet that one of them fits that other door?" she nodded towards the doorway. When she looked down towards ground level, she saw a broom hovering there.

"It seems too easy," Harry said when he was about to take hold of the broom.

"Come on Harry! If Snape could catch it on that load of rubbish then you can!" Ron encouraged him.

"Yeah Harry! You're the youngest Quidditch seeker in a century! You can totally do this!" Anya added.

And Harry did catch it. Of course, it wasn't easy for as soon as he mounted the broom, all the keys began flying at him. When he caught the right key, he had to throw it down to the others as he past by and flew around the room before darting through the door before the keys could catch him. Anya could hear as the little pieces of metal all rammed into the wood as the door closed.

The next chamber was barely lit at all and there were large... somethings through the place, reminding Anya of a graveyard. But as she and her friends stepped further into the room, torches all around the place lit up and showed the large statues to be chess pieces.

"It's obvious, isn't it?" Ron said. "We need to play our way across the room.

"Harry, you take the king's bishop and Hermione will take the queen's castle. Anya, I think it'll be best if you stay out of this one," he added to the auburn-haired girl.

"Guess I have no choice. I'll check from the sidelines- make sure you don't miss anything," Anya replied as she limped over to where a few broken white pieces were and sat down on one.

Anya watched nervously as the game progressed like real Wizard's Chess- where pieces were practically blown to smithereens. Occasionally she'd shout out instructions to Ron when he or the others were in danger, but otherwise remained silent. That is until near the end of the game.

"Ron, this is crazy!" Hermione shouted when Ron announced he would sacrifice himself so that Harry could take the white king. "There has to be another way!"

"She's right Ron! This doesn't have to be a bravery attempt!" Anya reasoned.

But Ron didn't pay attention to either of them. "Harry, it's you that has to go on. Not me, not Hermione or Anya- you!" Harry looked back from the door leading onwards to his best friend before reluctantly nodding. "And don't come to help me. The game will still be in motion."

"Ron why don't you just let me switch in with you? I'm already a crutch for you guys, so it won't be like we'll be down another person," Anya tried to reason with the redhead. It did make sense in her opinion; they'd need all the people they could get when they went up against the potions teacher.

"No way Anya! There's no way I'm letting you get in this mess," Ron replied. "It may be odd to believe but I feel like you're a sister to me and I won't let you get hurt anymore than I care for you to!" Anya felt her heart tighten with the emotions she felt and she eventually nodded.

Ron took a deep breath before the horse he was sitting on moved to where the king was in check. A sharp jolt of fear ripped through Anya's spine as the white queen rammed her weapon through the horse and knocked Ron down. When the game was finished, she followed her friends as quickly as possible over to Ron's side.

"I'll stay with him. You guys go on ahead," Anya instructed the others as she kneeled down beside the unconcious redhead, tears beginning to form in her eyes.

,:~:,

It was a good ten minutes before the door opened again and Anya's hand instictively shot to her wand. There was no way that Snape would get past her without a fight. But she breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the familiar mane of bushy brown hair.

"Hermione! Where's Harry?" she asked.

"Don't worry. He got through," the brunette replied. "How is he?" she nodded to Ron.

"He came around a few minutes ago but he blacked out right after."

Then suddenly the sound of a door opening again reached their ears but from behind them. Both girls looked to see someone with silvery white hair, his blue eyes twinkling from behind his half-moon glasses.

"Professor Dumbledore!" Anya breathed. "How did you-"

"Hagrid had told me that you believed someone was after the Stone and so I returned as quickly as possible," the elderly man replied. "Now if you'll excuse me."

When he opened the door leading to their other friend, Anya and Hermione felt a cold rush of air blow through the room. An angry cry reverberated off the walls as a smokey mist flew through the room and out the door.

The Headmaster re-appeared not long after with Harry's limp body floating along beside him.

"Harry!" the girls cried.

"He is alright. Just a little drained from the night's activities," Dumbledore reassured them. With a wave of his wand, Ron unconcious form along began to float along side Harry's and Anya felt the pressure of a broom underneath her. "Now how about we leave this place? I find it a little too drafty for my old bones."

* * *

><p><em><strong>AC: I broke my ankle? Great! Now I've got to go to the hospital wing again, don't I?<strong>_

_**MMM: Sure do kiddo.**_

_**AC: At this rate, I should probably just move my stuff up there. It would be more convenient, wouldn't it?**_

_**MMM: You know, that doesn't sound like a bad idea...**_

_**AC: I was just kidding!**_

_**MMM: Anyway, that's the end of this chapter! The next one will come up when I get to ten reviews on this story. Yeah that right- I'm holding the next chpater hostage! I have no choice! You people just keep clicking on story alert or whatnot- don't get me wrong; I appreciate it, but I need a little more encouragement than that!**_

_**PLEASE READ & REVIEW! ^_^**_

_**Nancy (aka megamatchmaker)  
><strong>_


	11. Year 1 Ch11

**_MMM: OK- I lied about the 'holding next chapter hostage' thing. Also, I would like to thank Drkness'sDaughter for her review. That was really sweet of you Vi! So this is the last chapter to the Golden Quartet's first year at Hogwarts. It'll be my last chapter of the year. I'm posting it before the 23rd because from that day on, it'll just be mayhem here. My b-day (23rd), Christmas Eve and Day, and my sister's b-day (26th).  
><em>**

**_AC: What? You mean that's it for this year? *whimpers*_**

**_MMM: Oh, stop with the whimpering. You've still got six more years at Hogwarts. So how about we just continue with the story please?_**

**_AC: Alright. and Happy Birthday.  
><em>**

**_MMM: Thanks. JK Rowling owns Harry Potter.  
><em>**

* * *

><p><strong>Ch. 11 Going Home?... Not Really<strong>

It had been three days since the Golden Quartet had gone down through the trapdoor and Harry still hadn't woke up. Ron was already back up and running by the time Dumbledore had brought them all to the Hospital Wing and Madame Pomfrey had mended the bones in Anya's foot within the first five minutes she was through the door.

Ever since Ron heartfelt confession, he and Anya had become even closer than before. They were finally starting to act like real friends would. Sure, they had their rough moments early in the year, but Anya was sure that it would be easier in the years to come. And of course her friendship with Harry and Hermione had only grown stronger from the first time they met.

It was like a dream to Anya. Not only was she finally fitting in somewhere perfectly, but she had wonderful friends too.

So when the three friends made their way to the Hospital Wing to go visit Harry, they were more than pleased to hear that he was up and well. When they saw him come out the door, Anya was the first to wrap him up in a massive hug.

"We did it! We did it!" she laughed as the others dog piled them in the hug. "Voldemort's gone, and he's not coming back!" She saw the expression on Harry's face.

"He isn't coming back... right Harry?" Hermione asked.

"Professor Dumbledore said that he just might," Harry replied after a few moments of silence.

Anya shrugged. "Then we'll just kick his ass again when he comes back!"

,:~:,

Everyone was in the Great Hall for the end of year feast. When Harry and his friends walked in, a sudden hush fell over the room for a minute or two before the chattering started up once more. The four friends took their seats at the Gryffindor table as they tried to ignore the stares.

"It's gotta be these hats," Anya huffed as she tried to straighten the pointed black hat over her French braid. "They make everyone look like a dork. I mean, look at Malfoy!" The blonde in question was tugging on the end of his hat, his ears sticking out even further thanks to the sharp contrast of white and black.

"Yeah... sure," Harry muttered as people pointed in his direction. Just then, Dumbledore stood up at the teachers' table.

"Another year gone!" he sighed cheerfully. "And as I see it, the House Cup needs awarding and the points stand thus...

"In fourth place, Gryffindor with two hundred and sixty-two points." Anya almost hid her face in guilt as that number was announced. "In third place, Hufflepuff with three hundred and fifty-two points, with four hundred and fifty-six points Ravenclaw takes second place, and with four hundred and seventy two points; Slytherin house." An erruption of cheering and stomping came from the house of snakes.

"Yes, well done Slytherin but however," Dumbledore continued, causing another hush through the room. "In light of recent events, there are a few last-minute points I wish to announce.

"First, to Ms. Hermione Granger," Hermione perked up when her name was called, "for the cool use of intellect when others were in grave peril- fifty points."

"Good job Hermione!" Anya whispered to her friend who was beaming with pride.

"Second, to Mr. Ronald Weasley, for the best game of chess played that Hogwarts has seen these many years- fifty points." Ron's entire face turned bright red as his brother Percy kept shouting out "That's my youngest brother! Got past McGonagall's giant chess set, he did!"

"Thirdly, to Ms. Anya Collins." Anya blushed at the attention she recieved while she wondered what she could possibly have done that was so special. "For thinking of the safety of others while she herself was in danger- fifty points.

"And fourth, to Mr. Harry Potter, for pure nerve and outstanding courage. I award Gryffindor house sixty points."

"You guys, we're tied with Slytherin!" Hermione whispered.

"And finally, it takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to your enemies, but a great deal more to stand up to your friends. Therefore, I award ten points to Neville Longbottom!" Dumbledore finished.

Anya clapped vigorously and gave Neville a great big hug before he disappeared under a pile of other Gryffindors. The poor boy was stunned; he had never even earned one point for his house and here he went earning ten in one go!

Anya sneaked a glance at the Slytherin table and saw Malfoy staring at her. She sent a smug smirk in his direction before turning away, unaware of the wounded look on his face.

"Assuming that my calculations are correct, I believe that a change of decoration is in order!" Dumbledore clapped his hands and the green and silver banners hanging above their heads turned to scarlet red and golden yellow, the large snake symbols melting away for mighty lions to take place. "Gryffindor wins the House Cup!"

Cheers errupted from three of the student tables as hats flew up into the air. The house of Slytherin was finally beaten.

,:~:,

Before the students knew it, the grades came in- Harry, Ron passing with adiquant marks while Anya and Hermione recieved top marks of their year- and the trunks were packed and loaded onto the train. Letters were handed out to students reminding them not to do any magic outside of school, something that the Weasley twins groaned about, and students gave final goodbyes to those who wouldn't return next year.

"Can you guys believe the year's already over?" Anya asked her friends as she handed her bag off to be loaded onto the train.

"Couldn't have come any sooner in my opinion," Ron sighed, causing them all to laugh.

"Harry!" Hagrid's booming voice called from over the flock of children scurrying along the platform.

"I'll be right back," Harry said beore making his way over to the giant.

"To be honest, I'm sort of nervous to go home," Hermione spoke up. Her friends gave her a stunned look. "Well I just mean that when Mum and Dad find out what happened throughout the year, they'll probably hit the ceiling."

Anya had to agree with Hermione on that one. When her parents found out that Anya broke rules and put herself in harm's way, the chances that she'd get off easy were very slim. _'Hopefully they won't ground me for the _whole_ summer,'_ she thought. She gave a shrug as she noticed Harry coming back.

"What's that?" she asked pointing to the red leather book in his bandaged hand.

"It's from Hagrid," Harry replied. "It's some pictures of my parents."

"Oh, that reminds me!" Anya exclaimed, pulling out a disposable camera from her bag.

"Excuse me sir," she addressed one of the men working on the platform. "I was just wondering if you could take a picture of me and my friends." After a quick instructing on how to use the camera, Anya hopped to her friends' sides and smiled as the flash went off.

"I have something for you guys," Anya spoke up after some time on the train. She pulled out three rectangular boxes, each tied off with a different colored string; blue to Ron, brown to Hermione, and green to Harry. "It's just something I meant to give to you guys sooner, but with everything going on, I forgot about it," she said, twisting her fingers. When the others opened the boxes, they were stunned.

"There something I had made at the jewelery store near my place and I placed a Non-Tarnishing and a Non-Breaking Charm on them when I got them," Anya continued as her friends held up the silver chains with small lightning-shaped pendants. She pulled on the chain hidden in her shirt to revealed the same necklace hanging around her neck. "I wanted to have something that kind of kept us all together, even if we're in different parts of the world... There's a message on the back too."

Harry, Ron, and Hermione turned over the pendants to see words engraved on the back along the length of the lightning bolt.

_ 'My Best Friends and Family_

_ -Anya'_

"I know it's pretty corny and I understand if you guys would rather not wear them-" But Anya was cut off as her friends all swept in and hugged her with all their might.

The train ride went by too quickly for anyone's liking. The countryside flew past as it became greener and tidier while wizard robes were removed and replaced by light jackets and sweaters, and the train pulled into Platform 9 3/4.

"You have to come over this summer!" Ron said as they waited to go through the gate to the Muggle platforms. "All of you- I'll send an owl. Mum will be thrilled to have a few more girls in the house for once."

"I'll have to check with my parents, but I'm sure they'll say yes," Anya answered before they pushed through the gate.

"Mum! Mummy look!" Four heads perked up as the sound of a little girl's voice could be heard. They looked to see Ron's little sister Ginny pointing in their direction- just not at her brother. "It's him! Harry Potter! Mummy, I can see-"

"Hush Ginny! It's not polite to point!" a plump woman with the same fiery red hair as her children scolded her daughter before smiling to the four young witches and wizards that walked up. "Hello Ronald, dear. Busy year?" she asked.

"Very," Harry replied. "Thanks for the fudge and sweater, Mrs. Weasley."

"Not a problem, Harry dear," Mrs. Weasley replied. Then she turned to the girls. "And who might you be?"

"Mum, these are my friends," Ron introduced them. "This is Hermione Granger." The brunette gave a polite smile and nodded her head. "And this is Anya Collins." Anya smiled and held out her hand.

"Pleasure to meet you ma'am."

"Pleasure is all mine, young lady," the older witch replied.

"Ready are you?" a gruff voice sounded and Anya turned to see a very large and beefy man standing there, his purple face hidden mostly behind a large mustache. He looked positively furious at Harry. Anya could only guess that this was Harry's despicable Uncle Vernon. A little ways off, she could see a very thin woman standing next to a large young boy. They both looked terrified of Harry's presence. _'Aunt Petunia and Dudley, I take it?'_

"Oh, you must be Harry's family!" Mrs. Weasley smiled, clearly not noticing the look on the man's face when she said the word 'family'.

"Something like that," was his rough reply. "Come on boy; we haven't got all day." And with that, he walked off. Harry turned and hugged his friends goodbye.

"Try and have a nice summer Harry," Anya said as she hugged her friend. "Just say the word and I can bring you over to the States with me and my parents. They won't mind, I'm sure," she whispered into his ear.

"Oh trust me, I'll have a good summer," Harry replied as he pulled away and they were all surprised at the grin that spread over his face. "The Dursleys don't know that I can't use magic outside of school. I'm going to have loads of fun with Dudley this summer..." And with that, he hurried after his uncle.

"Anya! Anya sweetie!" Anya turned around at the call of her name to see her parents over the crowd.

"Mom! Dad!" she laughed as she ran at them, skillfully dodging the people as she passed by them. When she was close enough, her father picked her up in his arms and hugged her tightly, her mother's arms wrapping around her from behind. "I missed you!" she gushed.

"We missed you too pumpkin!" Rick smiled as he kissed her head again. He let her back down onto her feet and picked up the bag she'd been carrying. Anya walked her parents over to introduce them to the Weasleys and to get her trolley which she had left behind in her excitement.

After they all parted ways and exchanged addresses so they could keep in touch, Anya followed her parents to the parking lot so they could head to the airport. She may be going back home to New York, but she knew in her heart that she had another home now; Hogwarts.

* * *

><p><em><strong>HG: These necklaces are pretty nice.<strong>_

_**RW: Yeah.**_

_**HP: I guess...**_

_**AC: You don't like it Harry?**_

_**HP: No, I do! It's just that... guys don't normally wear necklaces.**_

_**MMM: Well Harry, you'll just have to make an exception.**_

_**See you all next chapter! Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!**_

_**Nancy (aka megamatchmaker)**_


	12. Year 2 Ch1

****_**MMM: HAPPY NEW YEAR! Finally, it's 2012! Now it can be proven that the world **_**isn't_ going to end. No disrespect to the Mayans or anything, but I seriously just don't believe that after so many years, the world is going to stop. Who believes that anyway?  
><em>**

**_Anyway, let's just get this started! Time for year 2 of 'When Opposites Attract'! Again, I would just like to thank everyone who has given me reviews and a special shout-out to Drkness'sDaughter for being my beta reader on this story. Thanks Vi! Couldn't do it without you! :)_**

**_AC: Can we get on with this please? I wanna see my friends again!_**

**_MMM: Alright. Well, as usual, I don't own the Harry Potter franchise- J.K. Rowling does. Enjoy!_**

* * *

><p><strong>Ch.12 Summer<strong>

Sunlight filtered in through the light curtains that hung on the windows and spread throughout the room, causing its occupant to roll over and pull her blanket over her head.

_ "Good morning teens of New York!'_ an enthusiastic voice shouted from the radio alarm clock on the bedside table. _"Break out the swimsuits and sun lotion people, 'cause it's going to be another beautiful balmy day. And now let's kick it off with a little personal favorite by Celine Dion. This is GeZii Radio and you're listening to the greatest hits!" _

"Awesome!" Anya Collins cheered as she jumped out of bed fully awake and began dancing around to 'One Heart'. She smiled as she changed from her pink and black polka-dot pajamas into a pair of denim shorts along with her favorite t-shirt with the American flag cut out in a heart shape.

Today was more than just the 4th of July for her- it was also her twelveth birthday and she was excited for it. As Anya looked around, she noticed just how much she had changed in the past year.

Gone were the posters of Disney princesses and pop boy bands, the walls no longer the pastel green with rainbow-colored wallpaper along the the top, and the cluttered box of children's books. Instead, the walls were painted a rich ocean blue and the ceiling a brilliant sky blue, teen novels lined along the small bookshelf by her door, and all her music equipment sitting at a red oak desk in the corner of her room. And hanging above her bed was a poster-size copy of a picture of the one place she couldn't wait to go back to.

"Hogwarts," Anya sighed as her finger traced over the water in the image. Hogwarts; the school founded by Godric Gryffindor, Helga Gufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Salazar Slytherin over a thousand years ago. A school where some of the most well-known witches and wizards had gone to learn of their heritage.

It seemed like only yesterday that Anya had recieved the letter that told her that she was a witch and whisked her off to a world that she had only read about in fairytales. A place where she made friends with some of the greatest people that she ever knew.

Hermione Granger, the brunette with the passion for learning and for books. She was the first person Anya met in the world of magic and they had become such great friends on that first day. Ron Weasley, the second youngest child in a family of seven ginger-haired kids with an enormous appetite and addiction to wizard's chess. And Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived. Anya liked him most because he never let his being famous get to his head and he was always ready to defend people.

It was hard to believe that in their first year alone, they went up against a three-headed dog, viscious plants, and a dangerous wizard long thought to be dead- and make it out alive. And then they went and helped Gryffindor won the House Cup from Slytherin house for the first time in seven years.

Anya smiled as she looked down at her bedside table at the small picture frame that had a copy of the photo she had taken of the four of them on their last day. Her hand came up to gently grasp at the lightning-shaped necklace around her neck. Ever since she had tied it around her neck, it had not came off and she intended to keep it that way.

A light tapping against her window snappped Anya out of her thoughts and she turned to see a golden masked owl tapping its beak against the glass.

"Hey Starshine," she cooed at the owl as she opened the window to let him in. "How you doing boy?" The owl hooted as he landed in his large cage by the window after dropping his delivery on Anya's bed. Then he took a small gulp of water before tucking his head under his wing and fell asleep.

Anya sat down on her bed and picked up the first package and saw the familiar scribble that belonged only to Ron. She undid the brown string and tore open the box to reveal a lovely purple scarf and glove set- hand made by Mrs. Weasley herself- and a small dish of chocolate fudge. The gloves fit perfectly and the scarf was soft against Anya's cheek. She picked up the card and read the note... well, as best as she could- Ron's writing wasn't the easiest to understand.

_Hey Anya!_

_ Just wanted to wish you a Happy Birthday from the Weasley residence! We really look forward to seeing you again soon!_

_Your pal,_

_Ron_

Anya chuckled and placed the card aside and began to open the other gifts; a box of new guitar picks from Hermione, a hand-carved flute from Hagrid, the school's game-keeper, and even a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour beans from Neville Longbottom. She couldn't help but smile at the memories that last gift caused.

What surprised Anya though was that she recieved a gift from everyone except Harry. Sure, she wasn't expecting diamonds or expensive things like that, but she had at least hoped for a card of some sort. Any sort of contact would have been nice.

For since they had went their seperate ways for the summer, neither Anya, Hermione, or Ron had heard anything from Harry. They had each sent at least a dozen letters or so to him, but he hadn't replied to any. What happened? Had his aunt and uncle done something? Was he avoiding them? Anya felt a bubble of worry growing in her gut.

"Anya sweetie," Nicole Collins called as she gently opened her daughter's bedroom door, her husband right beside her. "Are you awake?"

"Yeah mom," Anya sighed as she placed the box of sweets down, a smile finding its way back on her face. "I'm up."

"Listen sweetie, I'm really sorry, but your dad and I need to head over to the shop for a bit. Natalie called about some sort of problem with one of the customers and her cake. Turns out she wanted _lilac_ sugar roses and the ones that were on it were _lavender_ colored. We should be back before one. Do you mind?"

"Nah, it's ok Mom," Anya replied. "I was going to see if Hermione is online, maybe see if Irene and Emily could come over- if that's alright with you."

"Sure thing kiddo," her father, Rick, said. He walked into the room and leaned down to place a kiss on his daughter's head. "And Happy Birthday, pumpkin."

"Happy Birthday," her mother added as she too gave her daughter a small peck on the cheek.

"Thanks you guys," Anya sighed as her parents walked down the stairs. A few minutes later, she heard the sound of a door open and close and the car engine starting before it headed off down the street. She sighed again before hopping up off the bed and walking over to her desk to turn on her computer.

After it warmed up, she checked her video-chatline to see if anyone was on and saw the name 'BookFanatic' on the list. When she clicked on it, the screen opened to reveal a familiar mane of bushy brown hair.

"Happy Birthday Anya!" Hermione cheered at her friend, causing the aubrun-haired girl to laugh with merriment.

"Thanks Hermione! And Happy 4th of July," she answered.

"Thanks, but I don't really celebrate the 4th of July. I'm not American, remember?"

"Yeah I know. I'm just saying." Anya could help but roll her eyes. Why did Hermione have to take things so literally? "So, how are things at your end?"

Hermione shrugged. "Nothing really special. Mum and Dad are at work right now so my aunt's here keeping an eye on me. You?"

"The parentals had to go to the shop for a bit. Something about some cranky customer being a real pain in the butt," Anya waved it off. "I got your gift, by the way. Thanks! They're perfect."

"And each one has your name written on them," Hermione announced.

"Really? Cool! I hadn't noticed that before." Anya was silent for a moment. "Any word from Harry yet?"

"Not one. And Ron has heard nothing from him either." Anya could see Hermione twist her fingers. "I'm getting worried."

"Don't worry," Anya reassured her friend. "Ron sent me a letter the other day that if he hadn't heard from Harry by his birthday, he's going over there and bringing him back to the Weasley's house for the rest of the summer."

"Well hopefully, he doesn't do anything stupid," Hermione said. "He should really try to be more logical- like Gilderoy-"

"Hermione Granger!" Anya cut off. "If I hear _one _word about the _famous_ Gilderoy Lockhart, I swear I will reach through this computer and slap you silly!"

Gilderoy Lockhart. Anya didn't know anything about this guy and yet she knew everything about him- well, the parts Hermione kept gushing about. Apparently, this guy came out of nowhere and within several weeks, had six or seven books published and on the shelves in every wizard bookshop there was. And every time Hermione talked about him, Anya felt herself disliking him more and more.

"But Anya! He's one of the greatest wizards of his time!" Hermione argued. "He's battled trolls and vampires, werewolves and banshees-"

"Yeah Hermione. He _says_ that he's done all these things, but where's the proof?" Anya shot back. "How come there are no witnesses to his _wonderful_ accomplishments? Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if his stories were just made up."

"How can you _say_ that?" It didn't take a genius to know that Hermione was apalled.

"Simple- I've seen his picture in the Daily Prophet. And if his picture's personality is anything like the real thing, then he probably cares more about his fanbase and his hair than anything else," Anya said crossing her arms and leaned back in her chair. "Can we please go to another topic before I toss whatever is left in my stomach?"

"Alright," the brunette replied a little disgruntled.

,:~:,

"Well, well, well... look who it is girls; the Freak's back." Anya stopped walking up the stairs outside of her house ad turned around to see who had talked. She groaned quietly.

Standing on the sidewalk, flanked by her posse, was Lucy Heller. Her golden blonde hair was tied back with sparkling berrettes and her cold sea-green eyes glared at Anya.

"How's it going, Freak?" Lucy taunted. "Last I heard of you, your parents sent you off to some boarding school in England. What's the matter- got kicked out?"

"Put a sock in it Heller," Irene snapped at the blonde.

"I don't care if you're a year older than me Holt! I'm not as scared of you as most kids are!" Lucy snapped back before turning back on Anya. "Honestly Collins, I always knew you were a loser. Won't even stand up for yourself, huh?"

"And I always knew you were so pathetic, Heller," Anya shot back with a mocking smile. "So how are things down at home? Hell still as hot as the air you're full of?"

The blonde's face grew red with fury but all she did was huff and flick her hair over her shoulder before walking away. Her posse did the same flick and sauntered off after their leader. Anya sent a very unlady like gesture at her retreating back.

"Honestly Anya, you're so lucky that you get away from here for most of the year," Emily sighed as they walked into the Collins' household. "That little brat is just getting worse with each passing day!" She plopped down on the beige couch, her twin coming to lay across it and rest her head on her lap.

Anya laughed as she sat down in the large armchair across from them. "What can I say? I'm blessed!"

"Hey Anya? What is that?" Irene asked pointing to something on the table. When Anya looked, she froze. It was an issue of the Daily Prophet.

"Oh, that's nothing!" she laughed nervously as she snatched the paper up. "Just some school newspaper I kept from June. I was going to throw it out earlier."

"It looked like the pictures were _moving_," Emily commented.

"'Moving'? Really? Honestly Em- I think it's time to get your eyes checked again," Anya replied, rolling the paper up and tossed it in the garbage. _'That was close!'_ Then she heard Starshine screeching.

"Is that an owl?" Irene asked as she stood up and looked at the ceiling where the sound had come from.

"Uh... yeah!" Anya said as she jumped up. "I thought I forgot something this morning! Guess my CD player's still playing that nature album!" she laughed meekly. "I'll just go turn it off!" And with that, she dashed upstairs.

Starshine was screeching and hooting insanely when Anya opened her bedroom door. "Shh... shh... It's ok Starshine. It's alright..." she tried soothing the bird. "Listen... I've got some friends downstairs and it's _really_ important that they don't know about you, so _please_ keep it quiet!"

She opened the window. "Go hang out over in the trees for now, 'kay? I'll let you back in after they leave." The bird hooted once before he flew out the window and landed on a branch. Anya sighed with relief before closing the window and rushed back downstairs.

"Sorry about that!" she laughed. "So... where were we?"

,:~:,

"Did you enjoy your birthday sweetie?" Nicole asked her daughter as they cleaned up the remains of the birthday party in the shop. She and her husband had called Anya earlier saying that they needed her over at the bakery when in truth, they had prepared a small party for her.

"Yeah, it was great!" Anya grinned as she tied off the garbage bag. "Thanks for the party; the cake was fantastic!"

"Well it was a little tricky, but we did our best to make it look like the real thing," Rick replied as he fixed the remains to bring home. He and Nicole had used the picture in Anya's room to duplicate the Hogwarts castle and its surrounding scenery.

"It was great Dad. Thanks," Anya said. "Now come on or we'll miss the fireworks!"

* * *

><p><em><strong>MMM: Well, sorry that this chapter is a little short. I just hope that you found it enjoyable and if you have any comments, and I do mean <strong>_**ANY_, then let me know!  
><em>**

**_Gotta go now! Time for our New Year's turkey meal! Yum!_**

**_Nancy (aka megamatchmaker)  
><em>**


	13. Year 2 Ch2

**_MMM: Hi everyone! So I'm back once again with another update for 'When Opposites Attract'. But first, I have a few little shout-outs for some people._**

**_First, to Mi-chan1991: Glad to of put a smile on your face. Hopefully, you find future chapters to be as amusing as the last one had been._**

**_Second, to xXMizz Alec VolturiXx: I try to make it as cute as possible. Glad to see that you like it so much._**

**_Thirdly, wolfbane45: Thanks. I didn't realise my story could leave someone speechless. And I don't want to toot my own horn or anything, but year three and onwards should be even better. And there will be more Draco in this year, but the whole romance part of this story is still a little raw. Next year will be better. I promise!_**

**_And last but not least, to my amazing beta reader, Drkness'sDaughter!: Thanks Vi! Once again, this story could not have continued to go on as well as it has if not for your wonderful support and aid. So I thank you._**

**_AC: And I want to give a big shout-out for everyone who has added this story in their favorites, story alerts, and for adding my 'mother' to your favorite author/author alert list. *blows you all a kiss* And a great big hug to you, Drkness'sDaughter!  
><em>**

**_MMM: I couldn't have said it better myself! Now let's begin! (see previous chapters for proper disclaimer)_**

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><p><strong>Ch.13 Flourish and Blotts<strong>

_Dear Anya,_

_ I''m really sorry that I couldn't respond sooner, but there were a few... problems going on back at the Dursleys._

_ First off, my uncle forbid me from so much as mentioning the word 'magic'. He even went as far as to take all my school things and lock them in the cupboard under the stairs. He also locked Hedwig in her cage so I couldn't send any letters to you guys, and you know we're not allowed to use magic outside of school._

_ Then some house-elf named Dobby appeared in my bedroom and said that if I went back to Hogwarts, I'd be in danger. And to try and make me think you had all forgotten about me, he'd been taking my letters from you, Ron, Hermione, and Hagrid. Then Dobby pulled a stunt with magic and got me in trouble with Uncle Vernon and had me locked in my room._

_ Luckily, Ron came and was able to get me out of there. Did you know his dad works with the Ministry of Magic? He works in the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts department and he apparently likes to tinker with some muggle objects (Ron used his dad's flying Ford Anglia to come get me.)_

_ When I told Ron about the house-elf, he told me that only really wealthy wizard families and he's pretty sure that it's someone trying to pull a prank on me. I suspect it's Malfoy; he would just love to see me not show up this year, wouldn't he?_

_ So we're all going to Diagon Alley this Saturday to pick up our things for this year. How about we all meet up at Gringotts?_

_ And before I forget- Happy Birthday!_

_Your friend,_

_Harry_

Anya wasn't surprised about Harry's accusations on what happened with this Dobby. House-elves were known to be treated as slaves until their dying day or until they were set free by their masters, although the latter was rarely the case. House-elves were only set free when their master presented them with clothes.

Draco Malfoy was a real piece of work. He may of been in the same year as Anya and her friends, but he kept acting like he was so much better than them. Not to mention, he was always the first one to go trying to get Harry in trouble for whatever reason. _'Won't Malfoy be surprised when he sees Harry want into the Great Hall on the first?' _Anya thought as she opened her other letter.

_Dear Anya,_

_ As you probably are aware, Harry is staying with the Weasleys for the rest of the summer. I personally think that Ron was very ignorant about what he and his brothers did to go get Harry, but what's done is done and there's no changing it, is there?_

_ I'm going to Diagon Alley with my parents on Saturday so I can meet up with the boys. Hopefully you can make it, and Mum and Dad said that you and your parents are invited to spend the last few days of the summer at our place so that way you don't have to keep going back and forth from here to America._

_ Let me know what your parents decide._

_ See you soon!_

_Hermione_

After a quick discussion with her parents and a short reply to Harry and Hermione, Anya already had her bags packed and their flight was ready for Friday morning.

,:~:,

Diagon Alley was exactly as Anya remembered; wizards and witches of all ages buzzing along the street in their cloaks, nocturnal birds chirping and hooting outside of the Owl Emporium, and shopkeepers greeting with bright smiles.

"I wonder where they are," Nicole commented as she and her family walked down the steps of the bank after they made their exchange. Just then, Anya heard someone call her name and she turned around to see Ron making his way through the crowd.

"Ron!" Anya cheered as she shot off like a bullet to greet her friend. When she was close enough, she literally jumped into his arms and hugged him tightly. "God, I've missed you!"

"Likewise," he muttered, pulling away to look down at her. _'Wow! Talk about your growth spurt!'_ Anya thought. She may have grown enough to be 5ft. tall, but he had to of been at least five inches taller than her. _'I feel like such a shorty!'_ she thought miserably.

"Anya!" she spun on her heel just as another pair of arms wrapped around her and she toppled over.

"Good to see you too Hermione," Anya grunted as the wind was knocked out of her. "But can you get off me? I can't breathe," she gasped, and the brunette backed off immediately.

"Sorry Anya," Hermione said.

"It's ok. I'll just take it as payback for all the times I nearly choked you to death with my hugs," Anya replied and all three of them laughed.

"Need a hand?" a voice said from behind Anya as a pale hand shot out to help her up. When she looked up, she couldn't help but squeal.

"Harry!" Anya squeaked as he helped her up and wrapped his arms around her. "Man, am I glad to see you!" She pulled away and made a face. "What the hell happened to you? You're covered in dirt! And your glasses are broken!"

"Yeah," Harry muttered, his hand coming up to try and straighten the cracked frame of his glasses. "Took a wrong turn with the Floo Powder and landed in _Knockturn_ Alley."

"Here," Anya said, pulling out her wand. "_Oculus Reparo._" Harry's glasses sprang back into place, the metal smoothing out until they sat perfectly on his face and the crack in the lens disappeared. Then she handed him a couple napkins and a bottle of water from her bag. "I heard Knockturn Alley's a nightmare; where dark magic is sold like candy. What was it like?"

"You don't want to know," he replied as he did his best to clean his face and hands of soot. "So how's your summer been, Anya?"

"Oh, about as good as it can be," Anya said as they followed the others into the bank. "Spend most of my time fighting- and winning- a game of wits against Lucy Heller, aka Lucy-fer, practising music and dance, and just waiting for school to start back up again. No big," she shrugged.

"Lucy Heller? Who's that?" Ron asked.

"She's pretty much the New York equivalent of Draco Malfoy," Anya replied. "Of course, I can take her on any day."

After everyone had taken care of their accounts- guilt forming in Anya's gut when she saw how little the Weasleys had in their vault- the group spilt up to do what they pleased for the next hour before they all met back up at Flourish and Blotts for the school books.

"Whew! Check out the price on this thing!" Anya exclaimed, slurping at the melting chocolate ice cream cone Harry had treated her with. Sitting in the display of Quality Quidditch Supplies shop was the latest in the Nimbus broomstick series: Nimbus 2001. Ron was too busy admiring a full set of Chudley Cannon robes; Hermione had to drag them away to the stationery shop next door.

Eventually, it was time to go to Flourish and Blotts and Anya had to surpress a groan when her eyes landed on the banner outside.

"Can you believe it? We'll actually get to meet him in person!" Hermione giggled like the love-struck schoolgirl she was. The banner read 'Gilderoy Lockhart will be signing copies of his autobiography MAGICAL ME today 12:30 P.M. to 4:30 P.M.' "He's almost written the entire booklist for the year!"

"Yippee," Ron muttered sarcastically and Anya nodded in agreement. She really would have rathered to _not_ see the guy anymore than she had too, but she followed her friends into the shop and into the line where the rest of the Weasleys, the Grangers, and her parents were already standing, snatching a copy of the_ Standard Book of Spells, Grade 2 _ on the way.

"There you are!" Mrs. Weasley said, sounding breathless as she kept patting at her hair. "We'll be able to see him in a minute..."

"Can't you just look at his picture and leave it at that?" Anya growled with annoyance just as Gilderoy Lockhart came strutting into view in bright blue robes, winking and smiling at the audience.

"Mum fancies him..." Ron whispered in her ear.

"Her and about every other hair-brained female in this room. I'm just glad I'm not one of them!" she whispered back.

"Out of my way!" a short and ill-tempered man snarled as he pushed in between the two. "This is for the Daily Prophet!" In his hands, he held an old-fashioned camera.

"So what? And watch where you're stepping!" Anya bit back as she lightly hopped on one foot and held the other that he'd stepped on. He said nothing but pushed Ron out of the way, stepping on his foot in the process.

Unfortunately, Lockhart heard her and when he looked up he saw Harry, practically shouted his name, and snatched him right out of the crowd. The clicking of the photographer's camera was crazy and Anya felt the desirable urge to take it and chuck it out the first window she saw... with the photographer attached to it.

"Ladies and gentlemen, what an extrodinary moment this is! When young Harry stepping into Flourish and Blotts to purchase my autobiography, _Magical Me_," he stopped as the crowd began clapping, completely unaware of how desperate Harry wanted to get away from him at that moment. "He had no idea that he would in fact be leaving with my entire collected works- free of charge!" He handed Harry a stack of his books and smiled for the camera again before pushing Harry away.

"And I also have the pleasure of saying that young Harry and his fellow students will be seeing much more of me for I have graciously taken post of Defense Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts!" he continued, earning even more applause from the crowd. Anya felt her face grow green with nausea and when she looked to Ron, she saw the same expression on his face. "Now... ladies..."

"Why don't you give me those, dear?" Mrs. Weasley offered to Harry as he pushed his way towards them. "I'll get them signed for you." Then she waved off her family and walked up closer to the table where Lockhart was signing his books.

"Let's ge out of here before we get trampled on!" Anya suggested as the older witches started pushing and shoving to get their precious books signed. The others nodded and with some reluctance on Hermione's part, they pushed their way through to the front of the store.

"Bet you loved that, didn't you Potter?" said a voice and neither Harry or anyone else could mistake. Draco Malfoy came stomping down the stairs to the second floor of the shop and stopped right in from of Harry, his usual sneer plastered on his pale face.

"Well look who it is- the Prince of Slime himself! Tell me Malfoy, how's it going? Been to any new snake pits recently?" Anya taunted, only for it to fall on deaf ears.

"Famous Harry Potter. Can't even go into a bookshop without making the front page, can you?" Malfoy's tone just oozed with the venom he was full of.

"Leave him alone." It came out so quietly that Anya had almost though she imagined it. But when Ginny stepped up to the blonde, it was obvious who had said it.

"Oh look Potter!" Malfoy drawled. "You've got yourself a girlfriend!"

"Which is more than we can say for you," Anya muttered. Just then, a older wizard came into the shop and she guessed it was Mr. Malfoy. He had the same pale, pointed face and platnium-blonde hair as his son, his cold grey eyes a sharp contracts against the head-to-toe black he was wearing.

"Now now Draco, play nicely," he said in what Anya noticed was a mocking tone. Then he turned to stare at her friend and held out his hand. "Harry Potter... we meet at last. Lucius Malfoy." He tugged hard on Harry's hand. "Forgive me," he said as he brushed the hair away from Harry's forehead with the snakehead handle of his cane.

"Your scar is legend... as of course is the wizard that gave it to you," Mr. Malfoy continued.

"Voldemort killed my parents," Harry snarled, yanking his hand from Mr. Malfoy's grip. "He was nothing more than a murderer."

To put it simple, Mr. Malfoy was not pleased. "You must be very brave to mention his name... or very foolish."

"Fear of the name only increases fear of the thing itself." Anya was impressed with Hermione. _'She sounds so grown up for her age.'_

Mr. Malfoy turned to stare at the brunette. "And you must be... Ms. Granger." Anya saw Draco nod. "Yes, Draco has told me all about you... and your parents. Muggles, are they not?" Then he turned to Anya. "And that must mean that you are Anya Collins."

"Yes," Anya replied giving a curt nod of her head. _'Hit me with your best shot pal! We New Yorkers are the best in the business when it comes to insults!'_

"Yes... I must say, my son was quite right about you." _'Ha! Wait... what?'_ Anya was confused. "You _do_ have the most intriguing eyes I've ever seen. Quite unique.

"Let me see know..." he turned to Ron and his siblings, leaving a confused Anya in his wake. "Red hair... vacant expressions..." He picked up the battered copy of _A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration_ from Ginny's cauldron. "Tatty, secondhand book... You must be the Weasleys."

"Children!" Anya jumped when she heard Arthur Weasley's voice directly behind her. She turned to see him glance at the Malfoys before turning back to his family. "It's mad in here. Let's get outside!"

Anya stood on the sidelines as she watched the two pureblood fathers exchange words. Just when Mr. Weasley looked like he was winning the battle, Mr. Malfoy said that he couldn't sink any lower when he started associating with muggles. Then he dropped Ginny's book back in her cauldron and walked away, his son right behind him.

"Ugh! That guy really makes me steamed!" Anya yelled as they all walked out of the shop to the Leaky Cauldron. "What I wouldn't give to wring his scrawny neck!"

"Who? Malfoy, his father, or Gilderoy Lockhart?" Ron asked.

"All three!" was the answer he recieved.

"Come on Anya sweetie," Nicole called to her daughter. "We're going over to Hermione's place for dinner. We'll come back tomorrow to get your uniform."

"Ok!" Anya called back before turning to the boys. "Well, looks like this girl's gotta jet. See you guys on the first." And with a final hug, she followed her parents off to the Leaky Cauldron and back into the muggle world.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AC: Lockhart's going to be the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher? I don't believe this!<strong>_

_**HG: *giggles with glee***_

_**RW: Hermione, stop giggling!**_

_**MMM: That's it for this chapter, people! See you all next time! ;)**_

_**Nancy (aka megamatchmaker)  
><strong>_

Mi-chan1991


	14. Year 2 Ch3

**_MMM: OK, so I decided to post another chapter a little sooner than my regular scheduled time. But first- my shout-outs!_**

****_**tsuki-shinigami: Glad to see you like Anya Collins so much. I tried to make her seem as typical as any other teenage girl from New York City.**_

_**xXMizz Alec VolturiXx: Of course Draco would talk about Anya. He's smitten. ;)**_

_**PurpleBlackSilver: It's not a crime to not review every chapter. Just knowing that you are enjoying this story is enough for me. And glad to see that you don't mind the love story starting slowly. To let you and everyone else in on it- it won't REALLY be starting until third year. But it'll still be an interesting journey to it!**_

_**Drkness'sDaughter: What can I say Vi? Awesome beta reader, that's for sure! Never change. Oh! and before I forget, HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEETIE!**_

_**& Mi-chan1991: Sorry it's not as entertaining. This year was a little more difficult to write about: I had to re-watch and re-watch thh HP&tCoS movie. Even though I know everything's CG, I still have some issues with it (spiders and snakes.) There will be some funny though, I promise!  
><strong>_

_**So without further ado, I present to you all the next chapter! Again, don't own HP series. :'(**_

* * *

><p><strong>Ch. 14 First Day Back<strong>

Well it turned out that things weren't as easy as Anya thought they would be. As it turned out, Ron and Harry had taken Mr. Weasley flying car and drove it to school when they couldn't get to the train... and they wound up driving it into the Whomping Willow, a tree on the school grounds with a mind of its own and a really short temper.

"Honestly! You were lucky not to be expelled!" Hermione scolded them the next morning as they all headed to the Great Hall for breakfast.

Anya rolled her eyes as she slumped down on the bench. "Although I would agree with you on this Hermione, I also have to say lay off would 'ya? It's not like the guys _planned_ this or something. Right guys?"

"Yeah sure," Ron said through a mouthful of toast and eggs. "Like we planned to nearly be killed by some _tree_!"

"Exactly!" Anya exclaimed before lightly smacking Ron upside the head. "And don't talk with your mouth full Ron. It's gross!"

"'Morning all," a voice spoke up and Anya turned in her seat to see Neville sitting down beside her.

"Hey Neville!" she cheered as she wrapped him in a hug. "How are you? I hardly heard from you all summer!"

"I've been alright. Mail should be coming in soon- Gran's probably sent some things I've forgotten again." At that last statement, Neville's face became pink.

Just as he said that, the rustling of wings was heard overhead as owls of all shapes and sizes came streaming into the Hall, dropping parcels and letters in the laps of their masters. And just as Anya was about to tuck into a nice bowl of maple oatmeal with crisp apple slices, something grey fell into the bowl right in front of her, spraying Anya and her friends with some kind of breakfast crisps.

"Errol!" Ron groaned as he pulled the bird out by its feet and placing it back onto the table. "Bloody bird's a menace!" he added as he pulled a letter out of Errol's beak.

"You can say that again," Anya huffed as she pulled pieces of the fried confection from her hair. The owl hooted before taking off again, his course unsteady as he was. "Oh boy," she whispered as she saw him nearly collide with another owl before turning back to her friend who seemed to be staring at the scarlet envelope with utter fear. "What is it Ron?"

"Look everyone!" someone shouted from along the table. "Weasley's got himself a Howler!" Anya could hear some of the Slytherins laugh at the other table but she had no idea why. _'What's the big deal? It's just a letter... isn't it?'_

"You'd better open it Ron," Neville spoke up. "I got one from my Gran once- it was horrible!"

Ron's freckled just grew paler before he turned the letter over and opened it with shaky hands. As he did, Anya saw Neville cover his ears and she did the same, and it was a good thing too.

"RONALD WEASLEY!" the booming voice that was Mrs. Weasley was so loud, the entire Hall shook with the vibrations and dust fell from the high ceilings. Ron dropped the letter, but it started levatating and started moving around like a _mouth_. "HOW DARE YOU STEAL THAT CAR! I AM ABSOLUETELY DISGUSTED!" The entire Hall had become so quiet that a pin dropping could have been heard if not for the shouting card.

"YOUR FATHER IS NOW FACING AN INQUIRY AT WORK AND IT'S ENTIRELY YOUR FAULT! IF YOU PUT ANOTHER _TOE_ OUT OF LINE, WE'LL BRING YOU STRAIGHT HOME!" Then the letter turned to Ron's sister and spoke in a calmer tone.

"Oh Ginny dear. Congratulations on making Gryffindor! You're father and I are so proud!" The red-headed girl became so pink in the face, one could hardly tell where her skin ended and her hair began. With one final raspberry blown at Ron, the letter began to rip itself to shreds. Then the chatter began once more in the Great Hall as though nothing happened.

Right after breakfast, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Anya left the castle and head off to their first class together which was double Herbology with the Hufflepuffs and a few of the Slytherins. Unfortunately, Draco Malfoy and his two goons, Crabbe and Goyle, were also in this class.

"Have a nice morning Weasley?" Malfoy mocked as they shrugged into their brown working robes.

"Get a life Malfoy!" Anya hissed at the blonde before turning to her friend who was rapidly turning pink again as he fumbled with his robe. "Here Ron- let me help." She held up the back of the jacket and helped him get his arm in the sleeve. "Can you pass me my gloves Hermione?" she asked the brunette.

"Good morning everyone!" Professor Sprout greeted the students as she came strutting into the green house. Professor Sprout was a squat witch with fly-away hair and earth-covered robes. It was obvious that she took her work very seriously and Anya respected her for it. Muggle plants alone required a lot of patience; Anya didn't want to know how difficult magical plants were.

"Today, we will be discussing the uses of the Mandrake root. Now who here can tell me what that might be?" It was no surprise that Hermione's hand was the first in the air followed shortly after by Anya's. Professor Sprout pointed to Hermione first. "Ms. Granger?"

"Mandrake or Mandragora, is a powerful restorative," Hermione began, reciting the part on said plant precisely as written in the textbook. "It is used to return people who have been transfigured or cursed to their original state."

"Excellent! Ten points to Gryffindor," Professor Sprout proclaimed. "Now as essential as a Mandrake is for most anitdotes, it is also dangerous. now who here can tell me why?" Both girls raised their hands again, Hermione's barely missed Harry's glasses. "Ms. Collins?"

"It's because of the fact that the cry of a Mandrake is very powerful and can be very fatal to anyone who hears it without the proper precautions," Anya replied, which earned Gryffindor another ten points. She smiled as she high-fived her friends.

"Now as our Mandrakes are only seedlings, their cries won't kill you yet, but they will knock you out for several hours and I'm sure you wouldn't want that on your first day. So would you please put on your earmuffs for protection?" There was a scramble for the earmuffs on the benches in front of them as students avoided the pink and fluffy ones. "Flaps tight down and watch me closely."

As soon as Anya snapped the earmuffs on her head, she heard nothing. _'Ok, this is new.' _She figured there must of been a spell on these to prevent sound. Luckily, she had been studying lip-reading and sign language for the past two years, so she could understand what Professor Sprout was saying.

"You grasp your Mandrake firmly... and pull it sharp up out of the pot!" As she did, Anya gasped. At the end of the leafy greenery in the professor's hand was a very ugly looking baby-like creature. The leaves were growing out if its head and its skin was a mottling green color. Anya watched as Professor Sprout dumped the creature into a larger pot and covered it with compost until only the leaves were sticking out again. Then she set them all to work.

_'I am never going to underestimate plants again!'_ Anya though bitterly as class ended. Professor Sprout had made the re-potting look easy, but it wasn't. The Mandrakes didn't want to come out of their warm earthy confinements but they didn't seem to want to go back in either. They would squirm and kick, gnash their teeth and flail their little fists. One of them even kicked a bag of fertilizer and sent it pouring over Anya's robes. Then Anya had to help Harry squish a rather fat one into a pot and that took a good ten minutes.

By the time class was over, Anya's arms felt as stiff and heavy as lead and she was covered from head to foot in sweat and earth. She grumbled and groaned as she followed the others back into the castle for a quick wash before Transfiguration.

,:~:,

"Stupid-useless thing!" Ron growled as he smacked his wand against the table during lunch. After the encounter with the Whomping Willow last night, Ron's wand had snapped almost clean save for a few strands of the magical core materials. He had tried to repair it with Spellotape, but it wasn't working very well. He tossed it onto the table with a sneer. "Face it- I'm doomed!"

"Why don't you just write home for another?" Harry asked as he ate his cheese sandwich.

"Oh yeah, and get another Howler back, I bet," the red-head replied as he stabbed at his pasta. "'It's your own fault that your wand broke-'"

"Does anyone know what we've got after lunch?" Anya asked, hoping to change the subject.

"Defense Against the Dark Arts," Hermione replied almost instantly not even looking up from her copy of _Voyages with Vampires_.

"Oh joy," Anya groaned. Then she looked at Hermione's schedule. "Hermione? What's with the hearts?" All of the Dark Arts time frames had been outlined with dozens of the little red symbols. Hermione just blushed and snatched the paper away. "Hermione, the guy has to be at least double-if not triple- your age! That's disgusting!"

After lunch, the four friends headed to courtyard to wait out the remainder of their free time before class. Hermione sat on the step and once again buried herself in her book, Harry and Ron started a discussion on Quidditch, and Anya came back outside with her guitar case in hand, a dark purple leather container with white embroidery of music symbols along the lid. Inside, was her beloved acoustic guitar, the wood colored a light lilac. She just began to casually strum out a tune when she noticed something flash out of the corner of her eye.

The flash was the sun shining off an old-fashioned Muggle camera. Anya looked up from her spot on the grass and saw a small, mousy-haired boy she remembered seeing last night at the Sorting ceremony- something Creevey, she thought. He was looking at Harry like he couldn't be real and when Harry looked up, the boy's face turned bright red.

"Hi Harry," he stuttered. "M- My name's Colin Creevey. I'm in Gryffindor too."

"Hi Colin. Nice to meet you," Harry said politely. "Umm... these are my friends; Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, and Anya Collins," he introduced his friends.

"Collins? Wow! Your last name is almost the same as my first name!" the younger student said in amazement.

"Yeah. It's nice to meet you Colin," Anya replied and she chuckled to herself as she watched the first-year student start going on and on about Harry's facinating life, asking if he could take a picture of the green-eyed hero.

"...And then maybe you can sign it?" he asked hopefully.

"Signed photos? You're giving out signed photos Potter?" Anya rolled her eyes and turned to see Malfoy strutting up the stairs with his goons before turning back to her guitar and tried to block him out. "Everyone line up! Potter's giving out signed photos!" he shouted across the courtyard.

"At least people would _want_ one of Harry," Anya said. "Meanwhile _your_ picture isn't even fit to line the bottom of a dog's cage."

"You're just jealous!" Colin added, his voice quivering. His whole body wasn't even as big around as Crabbe's neck.

"As if I'd be jealous of having my head split open! No thanks!" Malfoy sneered at the first-year.

"Eat slugs Malfoy," Ron snarled at the blonde.

"Ooh! Better be careful Weasley!" Malfoy snickered. "Don't want Mummy to come and take you away from school, do you?" His voice reached a high octave. "'If you put another toe out of line-'" A group of older Slytherins laughed as they passed by. Anya's hand itched to punch something- namely, Malfoy's face.

Just as Ron was about to do something, Gilderoy Lockhart came strutting into view. When he saw Harry, he started going on about how Harry shouldn't try to 'set himself up' so much. Anya couldn't believe the idiot! _'How the hell did _he_ get the post for a teacher? He's clueless!'_ Anya was thankful that Harry had chosen one of the tables in the far back of the class. The last thing she wanted to do was be too close to the pompous windbag of a wizard.

When the class actually started, Lockhart began some elaborate speech about himself before he handed out a quiz. Anya read through it and each and every question were about him from what his favorite color was to what his greatest achievement was. When she read the question 'when is Gilderoy Lockhart's birthday and what would be his ideal gift?', she was tempted to answer it with 'a new brain' but decided against it.

Of course, Hermione answered everything perfectly and Anya looked on in disgust as her friend stared lovingly at the wizard before her.

"Now- be warned!" Lockhart spoke up suddenly, catching everyone by surprise as he pulled up a large cage from behind his desk. A red cloth was draped over the top so they couldn't see anything, but it kept rocking slightly from side to side. "It's my job to arm you against the foulest creatures known to wizard kind.

"You may find yourselves facing your worst fears in this room. Know only that no harm can befall you whilst I am here. I must ask you not to scream. It might prevoke them!" he finished, whipping off the cloth to reveal-

"Cornish pixies?" one of the students asked and Anya couldn't stop the laughter from escaping her. Electric blue, eight inches tall, and bodies that looked like someone had tied twigs together. They looked so pathetic.

"Pixies can be tricky little blighters," Lockhart continued with a smirk. "Let's see what you make of them!" And with that, he opened the door on the cage.

Instantly, the pixies shot out like little rockets, some flying straight through the glass windows, showering the back row with glass. Others tore books and sprayed students with ink, some tore the posters and photos of Gilderoy off the walls and threw them out the window along with book bags. A couple of the pixies even grabbed Neville by his ears and hung him from the iron chandelier on the ceiling. Within minutes, students were huddled under their desks or scrambling out the door.

"_Peskipiksi Pesternomi_!" Lockhart cried as he flourished his wand around. Nothing happened and one of the pixies snatched his wand right out of his hands. Lockhart gave a whimper and rushed to his office. Just as he was about to close the door, he noticed the four friends who were almost out of the classroom. "I'll just ask you four to just nip the rest back into their cage." And with that, he shut the door behind him.

"Can you believe him?" Ron shouted over the shrill voices of the pixies, swatting at them with a heavy textbook like a baseball bat.

"He just wants to give us some hands-on experience!" Hermione was quick to defend.

"Yeah right Hermione!" Harry shouted "That man hasn't got a clue of what he's doing!"

"You've read his books- all the wonderful things he's done!"

"Hermione honestly! Anyone can write a book if they've got the right imagination! And let's face it! Even I could- Oh no you don't!" Anya snarled at two pixies as they attempted to grab her guitar case from her to throw it out the broken window.

Her wand was in her hand and before anyone could even move, Anya jumped up on a desk and shouted "_Immobulus!"_ Every pixie in the room froze in mid-air and with another flick of her wrist, she shot every one of them back in their cage, where she slammed the door close and shoved the lock on violently.

"Why is it always me?" Neville asked from his place up on the chandelier.

"I ask myself that very same thing every day Neville," Anya sighed as she helped him down. _'So much for a peaceful first day.'_

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><p><strong><em>AC: Someone just hex me now! I won't make it through the year if this sort of thing happens every day!<em>**

**_MMM: Anya, just calm down. There's no reason to lose your head._**

**_NHN: It's a little late for that._**

**_MMM: Sorry, Sir Nicholas, but could you please go away? *watches ghost float away*_**

**_AC: That was mean._**

**_MMM: Sorry. Anyway, hope you all liked this chapter. See you in a week!_**

**_AC: Bye!_**

**_Nancy (aka megamatchmaker)  
><em>**


	15. Year 2 Ch4

_**MMM: Well, this is ch.15 and I`m sorry to say that it is going to be a little short. Really, this chapter is more or less a filler. Nothing really elaborate or out of character. Sorry!  
>But before I go starting the chapter, I would like to do my now usual show-outs.<strong>_

_**Drkness`sDaughter: Thanks. Sorry there wasn`t as much Draco/Anya than you would like, but I promise you won`t be dissapointed later on in the story. And don't forget what I told you the other day, 'kay? ;)  
><strong>_

_**PurpleBlackSilver: Thank you very much. I was reading a few other stories and I laughed at their dialogues with characters and I decided to give it a shot.**_

_**Mi-chan1991: Right back at you! :)**_

_**xXMizz Alec VolturiXx: Thanks!**_

_**AC: Only four reviews? Are you kidding me?**_

_**MMM: Anya, that's four good reviews that give this story another chapter. Don't be picky!**_

_**AC: *pouts* Still could use more reviews.**_

_**DM: And just when exactly is it that I come in? I thought this story was about me!**_

_**AC: *glares at Draco* Excuse me?**_

_**MMM: Don't start that again! Do I have to send you guys back to your dorm rooms?**_

_**AC & DM: *shakes head***_

_**MMM: Good. *turns to audience* As usual, I do not own the Harry Potter world. But hey, a girl can dream can't she?  
><strong>_

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><p><strong>Ch. 15 What the...?<strong>

Anya was so glad when the weekend finally rolled around. She did her best in the past few weeks to help Harry avoid the annoying Gilderoy Lockhart and it was going well- apart from classes. But it was a whole other case with young Colin Creevey. It was like the kid had memorized Harry's schedule and had to hear a "Hello Colin," at least five times a day. All Anya wanted to do now was unwind a little.

So it wasn't a surprise to see Anya stretching early Saturday morning, dressed in black tracksuit pants and a scarlet hoodie. She had planned to wake up a little later before meeting up with her friends and go visit Hagrid, but she needed to blow off some steam and jogging was her only option.

"Morning Anya." Anya whipped around to see the burly sixth-year student dressed in the Gryffindor Quidditch robes, his captain badge glittering in the sunlight.

"Hi Oliver!" Anya beamed.

Oliver Wood- Gryffindor's Quidditch captain and keeper. He was a really nice guy once people got to know him- not to mention good-looking. People thought he was just obsessed about the wizard sport, but really he just wanted to prove himself by training his team well enough so his house could win the Cup once again before he graduated from Hogwarts.

"Going to Quidditch practise Wood?" she asked as she sat down in the grass and stretched her legs out. "Getting a head start, huh?"

"You bet. I've developed a whole new training system that'll have us working harder and even longer. We're sure to beat Slytherins this year." The excitement shined in his eyes. "You know, we still need someone to play back-up in case anything happens that one of us couldn't compete. What do you say Anya? Care to join?"

"I'll have to think about it Oliver," was his answer before Anya grabbed her water bottle, popped her headphones in and took off for her morning sprint.

This was unbelievable! Sure, the thought of joining Gryffindor's Quidditch team had passed through her mind once or twice. Next to Harry, she had recieved top marks for flying lessons last year and Madame Hooch herself had commented on the subject. But Anya never thought she would be straight out asked by the team's captain! She couldn't wipe the goofy grin off her face as she jogged around the grounds.

,:~:,

"Good morning Anya," Hermione greeted her friend as Anya came to sit down beside her on the stone bench outside on the grounds later that morning. She and Ron were reading their assigned homework for Transfiguration- something Anya had done before going to sleep last night.

"Right back at 'ya!" the auburn-haird girl beamed as she regained her breath. "You guys will never believe what happened this morning!"

"What?" Ron asked, eager to stop reading about how to turn a mouse into a shoebrush.

"Oliver Wood asked me to try out for the extra on Gryffindor's Quidditch team!" Anya was jumping in her seat with excitement.

"Congratulations!" Hermione cheered as she hugged her friend. Just then, said team came strutting out of the school, each player dressed in their scarlet and gold uniform. But it seemed that they weren't the only ones. Because strutting out from the other side of the courtyard, dressed in emerald green and silver was the Slytherin team.

"I don't believe this!" Anya heard Oliver exclaim even from her place on the bench. She watched as the two teams walked up to each other and after a short exchange of words the Slytherin captain, Marcus Flint handed a rolled up parchment to Oliver.

"Uh oh. I smell trouble," Ron stated and the three friends stood up and walked over to the teams.

"'I, Professor S. Snape, give the Slytherin team permission to practice today on the Quidditch field owing to the need to train their new Seeker.' You've got a new Seeker? Who?" Oliver asked, the paper now crumpled up in his fist. And from behind the six larger Slytherins stood a smaller seventh member, a smirk plastered over his pale pointed face.

"Malfoy?" Anya asked in shock. _'How the hell did _he_ get on the team?'_

"That's right. And that's not all that's new this year," Malfoy grinned as he shifted his broom against his shoulder, bringing the attention of ten pairs of eyes to it. Black, sleek, and perfectly polished, the golden letters spelling 'Nimbus Two Thousand and One'. In fact, all of the Slytherin team had brooms exaclty like it.

"Where did you get those?" Ron asked in amazement.

"A gift from Draco's father," Flint addressed smugly and Anya glared at him. Something about that guy always rubbed her the wrong way; the greasy-looking dark hair or the crooked and sinister smile, she wasn't sure which.

"You see Weasley- unlike some, my father can afford the best!" Malfoy gloated.

"At least no one on the Gryffindor team had to _buy_ their way in. _They_ got in on pure _talent_," Hermione replied sharply. Anya grinned at her friend at turned to see Malfoy's reaction, the smug look now gone from his face and replaced by utter disgust.

But what he said next had Anya's blood boiling with fury.

"No one asked your opinion- you filthy little Mudblood!" he spat out.

Anya turned back to her friend to see tears rapidly forming in Hermione's eyes and she reached over and squeezed her shoulder while glaring daggers at the blonde.

"You'll pay for that one Malfoy!" Ron shouted as he pulled out his Spellotaped wand and pointed it at Malfoy's face. But when the booming sound from the spell echoed through the courtyard, a shot of green light came out of the wrong end and hit Ron squarely in the chest, knocking him backwards a few feet.

"Ron!" Hermione and Anya shouted as they rushed over to his side along with Harry. "Are you ok?" Hermione asked him as he crawled onto his hands and knees. But as he went to reply, several slugs came dribbling out of his mouth and onto the grass.

"Oh gross!" Anya gagged at the slimy critters that dripped down Ron's chin.

"What's going on Harry?" she heard the high-pitched voice of Colin Creevey behind her just as Ron burped another spray of slugs. "Ooh! Can you turn him around Harry?" he asked, holding up his camera.

"Colin, now isn't the time to be taking any pictures!" Anya shouted, pushing the camera down just as the flash went off. "This is serious!"

"Let's take him to Hagrid!" Harry instructed as he helped his red-headed friend up onto his feet, Hermione taking Ron's other arm. "He'll know what to do!"

As the four friends rushed past the two Quidditch teams, Anya slowed down and looked Malfoy dead in the eye. Her anger blinded her of the guilt and anguish swimming in his eyes. She was tempted to punch him right then and there, but she decided against it due to the six older Slytherins that stood right behind him. Instead she snarled, "Drop dead, you little piece of shit!" before rushing off to Hagrid's hut, trying to keep the tears at bay.

,:~:,

Anya was restless as she watched her friend try to keep from burping up anymore slugs onto the rug of Hagrid's small house. She wanted to help him, but this spell was particularly tricky enough as it was with a _proper_ wand. With Ron's acting out of order, there was no telling what it could have done to the poor guy. And it wasn't like they could go to the Hospital Wing: Madame Pomfrey would find out about Ron trying to hex another student and he'd be in more trouble than before.

"This calls for a specialist's equipment," Hagrid announced as he came walking back into the hut with a large bucket in hand. He handed it over to Ron just as he let loose another hurl of slime and snail-like critters. Anya grimaced as she watched Harry pat him lightly on the back as a gesture of comfort. "Better out then in. Who was Ron trying ter curse anyway?" Hagrid asked as he sat down.

"Malfoy. He called Hermione..." Harry began but by being raised with hardly any connection of the wizarding world, he had no idea what exactly to say.

Hermione stood up rigidly and walked over to one of the corners of the room, her arms hugging herself tightly. "He called me a 'mudblood'," she sniffled. Anya walked over to her friend and drapped her arm over her shoulder, giving it a squeeze as she had done before.

Hagrid gasped. "He did not!"

"What's a 'mudblood'?" Harry asked.

"It means dirty blood Harry," Anya replied, her chest clenching at the hurt that sat there. "It's not a word most people hear in conversations because it's a crude way to name people who have non-magical parents... like me and Hermione. It doesn't take a genius to know Malfoy was probably talking about both of us. Being called a 'mudblood' is pretty much the equivalent of saying 'why don't you just go jump off a cliff somewhere? The world would be better off without you'." She reached up to her face and felt the steady flow of tears make their way down her cheeks.

"Yer see Harry," Hagrid began so the girls could have a moment to compose themselves. "There are some families- like the Malfoys- who think that their better than everyone else because they'r what people call 'pureblood'.

"But it don't matter anyhow! There ain't a wizard alive today that aint' half-blood or less. More to the point, they haven't thought of a spell that our Hermione can't do!" he finished as he brought the brunette over to him and gave her a hug. "Don't yeh think about it for one minute, Hermione... Alright?" The brunette smiled and stepped back and Hagrid turned to Anya.

"And Anya... yer the most talented young witch I ever seen," Hagrid continued. "Yer smart and kind and yeh got a good heart." He pulled her in for a hug and Anya relished the comforting warmth of the half-giant. "Both of you girls are worth far more than a million purebloods."

"And that's the truth of it," Ron finally spoke up after burping up what seemed to be the last of the slugs. Harry simply nodded and smiled to show he felt the same. Both girls grinned before they tackled their other friends with hugs. It felt good to be appreciated.

,:~:,

"So where are Harry and Ron at?" Anya asked before taking a bite of sheperd's pie. She and Hermione were sitting at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall for dinner, and Anya was surprised to see neither boy there.

"Apparently they're serving detention for what they did to the Whomping Willow at the beginning of the year," Hermione replied. "Ron is cleaning the silver in the trophy room with Mr. Filch and Harry's helping Lockhart answer his fan mail."

"Yikes! Talk about your double whammy! I'd rather clean the trophy room from top to bottom than even spend a _second_ around Lockhart longer than I have to," Anya stated. "At least I'd do something more productive there, even if people hardly even go in there."

"Come on then. Let's go see if we can find them. They should probably be done by now." And with that, Hermione got up and walked out of the Great Hall followeed closely by Anya.

It didn't take long to find Ron, who was nursing a very sore arm as he walked out of the trophy room.

"How you doing there, Ron?" Anya asked and the redhead groaned in pain. "Here, let me see," she instructed as she pulled her wand out of her pocket. After checking over Ron's elbow, she muttered a quick spell and smiled. "There we go!"

"Thanks Anya," Ron grinned as he draped his arm over her shoulder and hugged her to his side. "Come on, let's go and get something to eat. I'm starving!" Anya shook her head as she ducked out from under his arm.

"Let's go get Harry first, Ron," Hermione said. But just as they rounded the corner, they bumped into the very person they were looking for. "Harry!"

"Did you hear it?" he asked breathlessly as though he was just running.

"What?" Ron and Anya asked him.

"It was a voice. I heard it first in Lockhart's office, and then again just..." Harry started explaining as he looked around the empty corridor, but when he looked down the hall he stopped. "It's moving. I think it's going to kill." And before anyone could ask what he was talking about, he shot down the corridor.

"Harry wait up!" Anya yelled as she and the others chased after him. They followed Harry up to the second floor. As they walked, Harry's arm shot out and stopped them in their tracks. He pointed down at the floor and Anya saw a trail of spiders scurrying in a straight line up the wall and out the nearest window.

"Strange... I never seen spiders act like that before," Hermione noted.

"I don't like spiders," Ron almost whimpered as he backed away.

"I'm not exactly a fan of them myself, but honestly..." Anya began as she turned to her red-headed friend, but the words died on her lips as she looked behind him. "You guys!" she exclaimed, pointing to the wall.

There was something on the wall above the torches; words, about a foot-high in length, shimmering in the fire light. '_The Chamber of Secrets has been open. Enemies of the Heir, beware.'_

"You guys, I think that's blood." Anya's voice trembled as she saw the red trickling down the stones. Hermione gasped and Anya looked just underneath the writing and she almost screamed.

Hanging by her tail from one of the torch brackets, was Mrs. Norris, Mr. Filch's cat. Her yellow eyes were wide and staring off at nothing, her little feline body stiff as a board.

But before anyone could do anything, students and teachers came down from either end of the corridor and when they saw the four friends and the message on the wall, the chatter died.

"'Enemies of the heir beware'?" Draco Malfoy's voice shouted from over the quiet. His cold eyes shot over to Hermione. "You'll be next, Mudblood!"

If things couldn't get any worse, Mr. Filch came around the corner and when he saw Harry standing near the hanging cat, he accused him and threatened to kill Harry. If it weren't for Professor Dumbledore, Anya was sure Filch was going to go through with this threat.

Then it was a series of smooth lies and dodges as to why Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Anya were where they were when people found them. Even Snape stood up for them at one point, but he quickly covered it with another accusation.

Filch was determined to get Harry in some form of trouble. He was positive that Harry had been the one to petrify his beloved cat and he wanted justice. Professor Dumbledore replied with assurance that Mrs. Norris would be revived when the Mandrakes Professor Sprout was growing had reached full growth.

Eventually, Professor Dumbledore dismissed them all and said, "I strongly recommend caution... to all."

As soon as they were out of earshot from the teachers, Harry spoke up. "What was that all about? 'The Chamber of Secrets'? What's that?"

"No idea," Hermione replied. "But whatever it may be, something must be very serious if even Professor Dumbledore couldn't revive Mrs. Norris. What do you think Anya?" She turned to the other girl only to see that Anya wasn't listening. "Anya?"

"I think," Anya began to say. "That this year may be more dangerous than we would have thought."

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><p><em><strong>MMM: See? :S I told you it was pretty much just a filler. Sorry about that. So I'll try and post the next chapter within a week. Not sure when exactly.<strong>_

_**Please R&R!**_

_**Nancy (aka megamatchmaker)  
><strong>_


	16. Year 2 Ch5

_**MMM: Chapter 16 as promised! Hopefully you all like it. My beta reader, Drkness'sDaughter, read a few snippets of it and she flipped! I don't want to toot my own horn, but I fell confident that people will like this chapter. Now, for my shout-outs!**_

_**PurpleBlackSilver: Thanks. Glad to know it wasn't just a filler. And as for your suggestion, I was really planning on just sticking with Anya's POV most of the time. There'll be the occasional glimpse in Draco's head on certain subjects though. I'll think about it.**_

_**Drkness'sDaughter: Sorry! But the storyline doesn't REALLY pick up until about third year. But there is something coming up soon. You'll just have to be patient. ;) And as for Draco's 'Mudblood' comment... what do you think he meant?**_

_**xXMiss Alec VolturiXx: Thank you very much. Hope this is as 'sweet' to you as the last chapter.**_

_**GirlWithHotPinkSunglasses: Good suggestion... but I already wrote the rest of the chapters for second year and it doesn't fit in well. Tried mixing it around so it would, but no luck. Thanks anyway.**_

_**Ikisha: Thanks a million!**_

_**MMM: *turns to Anya* There; five reviews. You happy now?**_

_**AC: Yeah! These reviews are awesome! Thanks you guys!**_

_**MMM: So without further ado, I present Year 2 ch.5! As usual, I don't own HP.**_

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><p><strong>Ch. 16 Books and Pep Talks<strong>

Rumors of Mrs. Norris spread through the school like wildfire to the point where everyone knew about the cat's condition before breakfast the next day. Most of the students were glad that Filch was now working without the help of his beloved feline but the fear of what could possibly have petrified her hung around the heads of everyone like a black cloud.

"Where have you been?" Anya asked Hermione as she came into the Great Hall. She and the boys had already had their breakfast but of course Ron was going back for seconds and thirds, so Anya and Harry had to wait 'til he was done.

"At the library. I was trying to get a copy of _Hogwarts; A History_ but they're all out and the waiting list is at least two weeks long. Oh, I wish I had packed it before leaving home, but I couldn't fit it in my trunk with all the Lockhart books," the brunette replied as she grabbed a slice of toast.

"Why do you need it?" Harry asked.

"I remember reading something about the Chamber of Secrets and I thought it might be in there."

"Well don't waste your time Hermione," Anya stated as they finished up and went off to Transfiguration class. "I've read though that book so many times I have it memorized and there's no mention about any chamber."

Once they got to the class, Ron and Harry grabbed the only free table left and Hermione went to sit beside a fellow Gryffindor. Anya looked around and couldn't help but groan in disgust when she saw that the last available spot was beside none other than Draco Malfoy who was sitting directly behind Harry and Ron. But she sucked it up and sat down in the seat beside him, angling her chair so she sat as far from him as the table allowed.

"Hello Collins," he greeted her in a manner that would have been seen as cute- shy smile and low voice- but she just gave him a look that said 'don't talk to me' as she yanked her things out of her bag and practically slammed the heavy texts onto the table. She smiled to herself when she imagined the blonde's face in place of the wood surface.

"Can I have your attention please?" Professor McGonagall said as she came walking into the classroom. She waved her wand and a small animal appeared in front of each student; Anya had a raven perched on top of her books. "Now today, we will be transforming animals into water goblets. Like so; one, two, three, _Vera Verto._" She tapped the back of a toucan three times with her wand and it turned into a lovely crystal goblet with gold details.

Anya watched as she called on Ron to go first and she couldn't help but laugh at the furry brown goblet that had a tail. McGonagall gave her a look and called on Anya next who transformed her raven into a perfectly clear goblet.

"Professor?" Hermione asked as she raised her hand. "I was wondering if you could tell us about the Chamber of Secrets." The transfiguration teacher looked around the room to find that everyone was paying very close attention to her. _'Probably the first time _that_ ever happened'_ was the thought that ran through Anya's mind.

The elderly sighed. "Very well. You all know, of course, that Hogwarts was founded over a thousand years ago by the four greatest witches and wizards of the age: Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Salazar Slytherin. Now three of these founders worked quite harmoniously together, but one did not."

"Three guesses who?" Anya heard Ron mutter.

"Salazar Slytherin wished to be more selective of the students administered to Hogwarts," McGonagall continued. "He believed that magical learnings should be kept within all-magic families- in other words, purebloods." Anya and Hermione both sent glares at Malfoy before turning to catch the rest of the story.

"Now according to legend, Slytherin built a hidden chamber in this school known as the Chamber of Secrets, and shortly before departing he sealed it until the time when his own true heir returned. The heir alone would be able to open the chamber, and in doing so unleash the horror within and by therefore purge the school of all those who Slytherin believed to be unworthy to study magic.

"Naturally, the school has been searched many times and there is no evidence that Salazar Slytherin ever built such a chamber," McGonagall finished. But as she turned to head back to the front of the class, Anya spoke.

"Excuse me professor, but what exactly does the legend say about what is in the chamber?"

"Well according to legend it is something that only the heir of Slytherin can control. It is said to be the home... of a monster." Anya felt her face grow white at the teacher's reply and she saw the same expression on the faces of her friends.

,:~:,

"Do you believe it?" Ron asked the others as they walked out the door after class. "Do you really believe that there is a Chamber of Secrets?"

"Yeah Ron, we do," Anya replied. "Why else do you think that all the teachers are worried, including Dumbledore? And if it really is opened then that means-"

"The heir of Slytherin has returned to Hogwarts. The question is who?" Hermione finished.

"Let's think- who do we know that thinks all muggleborn are scum?" Ron asked accusingly as Malfoy pushed by with Crabbe and Goyle by his side. "Let's face it, we all heard him say 'you'll be next mudlblood'. Who else could it be?"

"Ron's right, girls," Harry was quick to add before either girl could laugh the idea off. "His whole family has been in Slytherin for centuries. And everyone knows how much he dislikes anyone with non-magical family."

"Yeah Harry. That may be, but as much as I would love to see Malfoy get expelled from Hogwarts, we can't exactly go automatically accusing him," Anya stated. "For all we know, it may not even _be_ a Slytherin!"

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked as they all stopped in the middle of the hallway.

"I just think that there is a possibility that they weren't sorted into Slytherin house is what I mean," Anya answered. "Now I'm not accusing anyone or anything, but I have read enough mystery books and watched enough television shows to know that it can sometimes be the last person you would suspect."

"I don't know exactly what a 'television show' is, but I still suspect that it's Malfoy," Ron said. "Crabbe and Goyle must know something. Maybe we can trick them into telling us."

"Even they aren't that thick!" Any heard Hermione laugh. "But there might be another way; we'd be breaking at least fifty school rules, not to mention it would be very dangerous. Come on! We're heading to the library!"

"Umm... Anya?" Harry asked timidly and Anya stopped in her tracks. "Can I talk to you for a minute in private?"

"Sure Harry," she assured her friend before turning to the others. "We'll meet you upstairs, 'kay?" She waited until Ron and Hermione were gone before turning to Harry. "What's up?" She noticed that Harry seemed really nervous about something.

"Well... it's about what you just said before- about the heir of Slytherin," Harry began.

"You mean the whole 'it could be anyone'?" Harry nodded. "So?"

"I'm about to tell you something that I haven't told anyone- not even Ron about... Last year, when I was being sorted... the hat nearly put _me _in Slytherin. It said something about me being able to achieve greatness if I were in Slytherin, but it was only because I asked it to put me in Gryffindor that I am.

"Anya, what am I going to do? What if I am the heir of Slytherin and maybe I'm doing this without my knowing?" Harry finished, absolute and pure terror in his eyes.

Anya gave him a calming smile as she rested her hands on his shoulders. "Harry James Potter... I may not know much about you other than what I've seen with my own eyes, but I know for a fact that there is no _way_ that there is a part of Salazar Slytherin in you."

"But how can you be sure?" Harry asked.

"Because I can see it," Anya replied, bringing her hand down to rest over the beating organ in his chest. "Right here- in your heart. You have a kind and loving heart and you always are ready to throw yourself in the line of fire if it means protecting the people you care about. Anyone like that couldn't possibly be related to someone as cruel and conniving as him! Harry... you are the most wonderful wizard in the world. Your parents would be so proud of you."

Harry smiled in relief and hugged his auburn-haired friend. "Thanks Anya. I needed that." He felt a few tears fall from his eyes and he knew he probably looked pathetic to some people, but he didn't care. Anya's words were a great comfort. "You're a really good friend."

"You're welcome," she smiled as she pulled away. "Now come on- before Hermione starts flipping out up in the library!"

,:~:,

Anya and the boys were sitting in a secluded section of the library as they waited for Hemione to return from her search. Anya sighed from her place on top of one of the tables that lined the wall and examined her hands. _'I need to re-do my nails,'_ she grimaced at the overly-chipped midnight-blue nail polish. _'And maybe trim them a bit. My hands look like a cat's claws!' _The white tips were nearly an inch long and jagged. How she hadn't caught them on something and broke them was beyond her.

"Here it is!" Hermione whispered as she came back with a moldy-green colored book. Anya leaned forward and saw the words _Moste Potente Potions_ written in gold along the spine. She vaguely remembered hearing that title before, but then again, who really paid much attention to what Snape the Snake said anyway? Other then when he deducted points unnecessarily, of course?

"The Polyjuice Potion. 'Properly brewed, the Polyjuice Potion allows the drinker to transform himself temporarily into the physical form of another'." Hermione showed the page to the others and they were greeted with horrid images of people halfway through the transformation. Anya quirked an eyebrow at the picture of a woman whom had black hair turning into the shape of a spider. Below that she read 'this potion is not suitable for animal transformations.'

"You mean if Harry and I drink this stuff, we'll turn into Crabbe and Goyle?" Ron asked. "Wicked! Malfoy will tell us anything!"

"Hold it you guys," Anya spoke up as she skimmed through the recipe. "Almost half of this stuff is nearly impossible to get. We'll need to break into Snape's personal supplies to get most of this. Not to mention that if I'm reading this right, it'll take almost a _month_ to actually brew it!"

"A month?" Harry's voice was in shock. "But if Malfoy is the heir of Slytherin, then he could attack half of the muggleborns in the school by then!" he hissed.

"Yeah... but what other choice do we have?" Hermione asked him. He remained silent. "That's what I thought."

"Here Hermione," Anya said as she held her hand out for the book, tearing a page out of her notebook with the other. "I can write down the recipe real quick before Madame Pince finds out you got that book out of the Restricted Section."

"How do you know-"

"Honestly Hermione! As if a potion like this would be some book that students can just take at random."

,:~:,

"Anya?" Anya jumped slightly at the sudden whisper of her name, nearly knocking the open bottle of lilac-purple nail polish over on her bed. She stuck her head out from behind the closed curtains that hung around her bed to see a tired Hermione sitting up in her bed.

"Yeah Hermione?" she whispered back, pulling the curtains open wide.

"Do you think that what we're planning to do is such a good idea?" the brunette asked.

"What do you mean?" Anya asked as she patted the spot in front of her for her friend to come and sit, holding up the now closed nail polish so Hermione could see. When she did, Anya took one of Hermione's hands and began to gently file the nails to a proper shape.

"I mean the Polyjuice Potion- is it a good idea?" Hermione repeated.

"Why wouldn't it be Hermione? None of your ideas have done us wrong yet, so why would they now?" Anya smiled at her friend who grimaced.

"But this is very powerful magic to be dealing with Anya. What if I do something that messes with the potion's effect? What if I do so terribly that we're stuck like Slytherins for the rest of our lives? What if-"

"Hermione!" Anya hissed: the brunette's voice had grown louder with each worry that had been spoken of and both girls held their breath as one of the others in the dorm room tossed around before falling still again. "Whew! That was close!" She reached down under her bed and extracted a small box. "Pick a color," she said as she lift the lid to reveal several shades of nail polish.

"That one is nice," Hermione commented on a soft beige color. Anya grinned as she plucked it out of the box and began to coat her friend's nails with it.

"Now, to get back to the topic of your little panic attack," Anya began. "Everyone knows that you're the most talented witch of our generation, so the chance that you'd make a mistake with the potion is extremely slim. Not to mention that I can easily help you with it so we can avoid any mistakes. And besides- you can never do anything wrong. You're the best witch I've ever known. I'm sure that by the time we're twenty, you'll have already become so famous that _you'll_ be the one with six or seven books out and making millions." She smiled as she grabbed her wand from beneath the covers and muttered a quick-drying spell. "There we go. Perfect!"

Hermione smiled and hugged her friend. "Thank you Anya. For everything. I don't know what I would do without you around."

"That's what friends are for," Anya replied.

"Well, goodnight Anya," Hermione said as she hopped off the bed only to crawl back into hers.

"Goodnight," Anya said as she tucked her nail products back under her bed and climbed under the scarlet blankets. She thought back on the day and smiled. _'Two pep talks in one day. Hmm... I'm getting better at this,'_ was the last thought that ran through her head before sleep took her to the land of dreams.

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><p><em><strong>MMM: Another chapter done. Sorry if you guys found it a little on the short side.<strong>_

_**AC: Why do I feel like I could be the mother hen in the group?**_

_**HG: Probably because you do tend to act like one. After all, you keep us in line and cheer us up when we feel down.**_

_**AC: Thanks, 'Mione! *hugs brunette***_

_**MMM: Friendship- one of the greatest powers of all.**_

_**Well, please read and review!**_

_**Nancy (aka megamatchmaker)  
><strong>_


	17. Year 2 ch6

_**MMM: OK well, I've got my next chapter here for you ladies and gentlemen! Hope you guys like it.**_

_**AC: And a big thanks to GirlWithHotPinkSunglasses, PurpleBlackSilver, xXMizz Alec VolturiXx, and Drkness'sDaughter for your reviews. And speaking of, just a little something I wanna say to Drkness'sDaughter: Malfoy insulted my best friend- practically my sister- in chapter 15, and that is something I won't accept! Honestly, he's just lucky I didn't smack him with my textbooks for real!**_

_**DM: You do know I'm standing right here, don't you?**_

_**AC: So what? That's no excuse to what you said! *stomps off with Draco on her tail*  
><strong>_

_**MMM: *turns to audience* I'm sorry people. It seems these two are just not getting along today. But you know what they say- "if they insult you then they must like you." Anyway, as usual, the HP series belongs to J. K. Rowling. I'm just borrowing it for this. Now if you'll excuse me... *runs after characters***_

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><p><strong>Ch. 17 Bludgers and Blunders and... Parselmouths?<strong>

"How do they expect to win against _those_?" Ron asked the girls Saturday afternoon. It was the first Quidditch match of the season and Gryffindor was up against the Slytherins. And from what they heard from Ron's twin brothers, Fred and George, the Slytherins were almost impossible to keep in sight with their new brooms.

"They may have the right equipment Ron, but there's no way that they have the actual experience!" Anya replied. "Even with Malfoy and his stupid broom, Harry will catch the Snitch easily."

But it seemed that Anya's words were easier said than done. The three friends watched as the Slytherin team practically _gloated_ as they played; doing whatever it took to prolong the defeat of the Gryffindors. The team of red and golds had barely any points compared to the house of snakes and it seemed like that wasn't going to change any time soon.

As Anya looked around to try and see where the snitch was, she almost jumped out of her skin when Malfoy shot up directly in front of her seat and hovered there, his usual smirk on his face.

"Enjoying the game, Collins?" he asked her.

"Sod off Malfoy!" Ron snarled at the blonde who only paid enough attention to him for a glare before turning back to Anya.

"How about a little kiss after the match?" Anya felt her stomach twist with disgust at the smile on his face.

"Not in this lifetime, _Ralph-boy_," she replied with a cheeky smirk. Malfoy gave her a look before taking off to the opposite side of the pitch. "That loser really needs to learn to grow up."

The game continued without many other problems... for about five minutes.

Harry had just managed to avoid getting hit in the head by one of the bludgers when it seemed to come back at him. Now normally that wouldn't have been much of a surprise to anyone- bludgers were suppose to fly around and try to hit the players... but it wouldn't be considered normal when it flew off course to come back _repeatedly at one person_.

"What the hell is going on?" Anya asked as she watched one of the twins swing at the bludger with all his might, sending it flying at one of the Slytherin chasers only for it to stop mid-course and come back for Harry like some twisted boomerang.

"Someone's tampered with that bludger!" Ron replied, taking his wand out of his pocket and aiming at the dangerous brown orb. "I'll stop it."

Hermione pushed his hand down. "No! Even with a proper wand, it's too risky! You could hit Harry!" Anya's stomach twisted into knots. Try to stop the bludger and risk hitting Harry or wait until it bashes him so hard in the head, brain matter falls out? Neither plan suited her liking.

So Anya, Hermione, and Ron all watched as their friend chased after the snitch while fighting with Malfoy and dodging the rogue bludger at the same time. A small chuckle escaped Anya's mouth when she saw Malfoy's broom catch on a wooden beam and sent him sprawling across the ground. But the chuckle soon turned into a scream of terror as she watched the bludger hit Harry's arm. Before anyone could say anything, she took off down the nearest staircase with Ron and Hermione on her heels.

By the time they reached the bottom and rushed out onto the pitch, Harry was flat on his back, his uninjured hand clutching at the golden snitch. Gryffindor had won the match.

But it seemed that the bludger had other ideas; it kept coming down at Harry who barely missed it as he ducked from side to side. When it jumped back up into the air, Anya and Hermione quickly used their wands and a shower of glittering powder that was once the dangerous orb floated away on the breeze.

"Harry!" Anya exclaimed as she rushed over to his side and helped him sit up properly.

"Are you alright?" she heard Hermione ask from behind her.

"No... I- I think my arm's broken," he gasped through clenched teeth, hissing in pain at the slightest movement that jarred his broken arm. Anya hissed herself when she saw that most of his arm was rapidly turning a dark purple.

And then to make matters worse, the infamous Gilderoy Lockhart practically strutted up to the small group, pushing his way through the crowd that had formed around Harry and Anya. "Not to worry Harry. I will fix that arm of yours straight away!" he boast as though he had just said he was going to cure cancer or something.

"No! Not you," Harry groaned but the pathetic blonde brushed it off as 'being dillusional'. He rolled up his sleeves and pointed his wand at Harry's arm. A bright light surrounded the flesh and from the look on Harry's face, the pain was disappearing. _'Maybe he isn't so thick in the head after all,'_ Anya thought as the teacher reached out to take her friend's arm but when he picked it up, the thought left Anya's head.

,:~:,

Lockhart had done far more than just heal Harry's arm... he _removed the bones._ The limb hung at a very odd angle, nothing but skin and muscles. It looked like someone had taken a long rubber glove, painted it to resemble flesh, and attached it to Harry's elbow.

And now Hermione and Ron were standing around Harry's bed in the hospital wing. Anya had volunteered to go and get some of Harry's things so he would feel a little more comfortable while he was there.

When she arrived at the wing, she saw most of the Gryffindor team huddled around Harry's bed. And over in the corner closest to the door, grunting and groaning as though he was being beaten to death was Malfoy.

"Shut the hell up!" she barked at the Slytherin as she passed by his bed and walked over to her friend. "Here we go Harry." She held up the plastic bag. "I've got a couple changes of pajamas for you, along with a couple back issues of some Quidditch magazines I snagged off of Seamus and some extra sweets my mom sent over for you this afternoon."

"Thanks Anya. You're the best," Harry said as Madame Pomfrey came into the room, pouring some sort of liquid into a beaker while ordering the team out. Anya could see the words 'Skele-Gro' written on the skeleton-shaped bottle.

"You're in for a rough night Potter; regrowing bones is a nasty business," she said as she handed the beaker to Harry, who barely swallowed a mouthful of the drink before he spat it back out. The healer simply shook her head and poured some more for him to try again. Anya could only imagine how awful it tasted; the smell that came from it was horrible.

"So what do you think of Lockhart now, Hermione?" Ron asked from behind the curtain that Madame Pomfrey placed around the bed so that Harry could change. He had to ask Ron for help when he couldn't get the pajamas on properly.

"It was simply an accident. Everyone has an off day," the brunette replied.

"Hermione... when something happens to Neville in potions class- those are accidents. When Seamus blows something up or sets himself on fire- _those_ are accidents. As for Lockhart- he's a catastrophe! There isn't one single thing that I've seen him do that was actually intelligent or worked out well!" Anya argued. "Let's face it- the guy is a total joke!"

"He is not a joke!" Hermione shouted back just as Ron pushed the curtain opened.

"Whatever you say Hermione." Anya didn't really feel like getting into a discussion on the matter so she just filed it away in the back of her mind for another date. "How's it going there, Harry?" she asked as she sat down on the end of his bed.

"Well other than the fact that I have no use of my right arm, things are alright," he replied. "Could you get me some-" Anya held a cup of water with a straw in front of him before he finished talking. "Thanks." She held the cup for him while he took a few gulps to wash out the disgusting flavor in his mouth that was left by the potion.

"I'm sorry you three, but I'll have to ask you all to leave," Madame Pomfrey said as she appeared around the corner. "Young Mr. Potter is going to need his rest."

"Sure thing," Anya replied as she stood up, tucking the sheets more securely around her friend and gave him a quick hug. "We'll see you in the morning Harry. 'Night."

"'Night," Harry yawned.

,:~:,

Morning came fast and with it, some disturbing news. Apparently, young Colin Creevey had snuck out after hours to visit Harry in the hospital wing and was found by the stairs, petrified.

And it seemed that Harry had even more news to tell. As it turned out, it was Dobby, the house-elf that had appeared in Harry's room back at Privet Drive, who had not only blocked the barrier on platform nine and three quarters so Harry and Ron couldn't get through, but had also spelled the bludger that nearly took Harry's head off. Dobby had apparently also mentioned something about the Chamber of Secrets and 'history repeating itself'.

"So the Chamber of Secrets has been opened before?" Hermione asked Harry as she added ingredients into the bubbling cauldron in front of her.

"Of course," Ron replied for Harry. "Don't you see? Lucius Malfoy must have opened the Chamber while he was in school... and now he's taught Draco how to do it."

"We'll need to wait for the Polyjuice Potion before we can be totally sure of that, Ron," Anya said as she leaned back against the wall behind her, resting one foot against it while she crossed her arms. She watched as he seemed to squirm uncomfortably. "You ok Ron?"

"I just don't understand why we're brewing this potion in broad daylight... in the middle of a girl's lavatory." Anya could help but chuckle at Ron's expression as he spoke. She looked around the bathroom, the paint of the green cubicles peeling and the metal pipes turning brown with rust. "Aren't we going to get caught?"

"No... no one ever comes in here," Hermione replied. "This is Moaning Myrtle's bathroom."

As she said this, a pearly-white ghost of a young witch came out from the cubicle right behind Ron who remained clueless. Her dark lank hair was pulled back in two pigtails and Anya could see the angered look in her eyes that were hidden by thick-rimmed glasses.

"Who's Moaning Myrtle?" he asked.

"I'm Moaning Myrtle!" the ghost shouted, causing the poor redhead to jump almost a foot in the air. He clutched at the wooden frame behind him as he pushed as far from her as the wood allowed. Myrtle glared at Ron before she floated up to above where the sinks all sat in a circle.

"I don't expect either of _you_ to know me!" she accused the two boys. "Who would ever talk about miserable, moping, moaning Myrtle?" Silver tears formed in her eyes.

"Don't pay any attention to him Myrtle," Anya spoke up as she pushed away from the wall and walked closer. "He doesn't pay attention to anything expect Quidditch and food." She gave the ghost girl a warm smile. "How's it going?"

"It's alright, I guess," Myrtle replied with a smile of her own. Out of all the students in the school, Myrtle liked Anya the most. She was the only one that never teased her about things like her glasses or how she would cry all the time. It seemed that Anya had that kind of reaction from anyone she met- alive or dead.

"By the way, I heard that you nearly got a detention the other day. What was that all about?"

"Some little punk was dissing you Myrtle and before I knew it, his face just happened to make an unexpected connection with my fist," Anya shrugged. "Luckily for me, Professor Binns is so slow, he didn't notice anything and therefore I got out of trouble."

"Thank you Anya." The ghost girl made to go and hug her for her actions, but stopped short. She knew it wasn't pleasant for the living to go through a ghost's freezing cold body. This caused more tears to form and before anyone could say anything, Myrtle flew off back to her cubicle and dived head-first down the toilet.

"She's a little sensitive," Hermione commented.

,:~:,

Anya and the others found themselves in the Great Hall later that day. According to the bulletin board in the Gryffindor common room, today was the first session for second-years for a dueling club.

"Man, this place is packed," Anya huffed as she was pushed closer to the large rectangular platform in the middle of the room. She grimaced when she was shoved into the wooden frame, effectively knocking the wind out of her. "Ouch."

"I wonder who's teaching this," Ron said as he helped Anya stand up. "I heard Professor Flitwick was a dueling champion when he was young. Maybe it'll be him."

"Well as long as it's not..." Harry began to speak only to end with a groan. Anya looked in the direction that Harry had just pointed to and echoed the groan: Gilderoy Lockhart came strutting up the stairs onto the platform.

"Gather 'round! Can everyone see me? Can you all hear me? Excellent!" the blonde professor boast.

"In the lights of dark events here at Hogwarts, Professor Dumbledore granted me permission to start this little dueling club to train you all up in case you ever need to defend yourself. As I myself have done on countless occasions- for full detail, see my published works." Anya silently pretended to gag at Lockhart's words, causing Harry and Ron to chuckle.

"Let me introduce my assisant- Professor Snape!" Lockhart pointed to the opposite end of the platform where the potions master walked up the stairs, dressed in his usual black robes with a sneer on his face. Clearly, he didn't like being called 'assisant'.

"I bet you one sickle that Snape kicks ass," Anya whispered to the boys as the two teachers took their places to demonstrate a duel. The boys nodded in agreement.

And Snape did kick ass. With a simple shout of _'Expelliarmus'_, Lockhart was sent flying backwards.

"Oh, do you think he's alright?" Hermione squealed through her fingers.

"Who cares?" Ron and Anya asked, glad to see the pompous wizard knocked off his pedestal for once.

After that, Lockhart called Ron and Harry up onto the platform to teach them how to block spells, but after Snape's suggestion, Harry was partnered off with Malfoy.

"Give him hell, Harry," Anya cheered him on and gave him a high-five as he passed by. He nodded.

The match between the rivals was intense to say the least. But just when it seemed that Harry had the upper hand, Malfoy cast the spell that changed everything. A black and gold asp came slithering out the end of his wand and Anya heard some people scream as they backed away. She herself gave a whimper: snakes weren't exactly her choice in animals and this one looked far from friendly.

Lockhart had tried to make the snake disappear when Harry made no move to do anything, but he only sent it flying about ten feet into the air before it fell back with a hard thud, hissing and baring its teeth at the closest person who just happened to be Justin Finch-Fletchley, Hufflepuff student.

But that wasn't what surprised people. What did was when Harry walked towards the snake that was ready to strike and began to _hiss_. Everyone watched as the snake seemed to back off of the attack and curled up into ball on the ground, where Snape made it disappear.

"What are you playing at?" Justin shouted at Harry who just stood there stunned.

"Harry, come _on!_" Anya practically barked as she grabbed him by the sleeve and tugged him out of the room, Ron and Hermione hot on their heels. The continued running until they reached the deserted Gryffindor common room where Anya almost shoved Harry down onto the couch.

"You're a Parselmouth? Why didn't you tell us?" Ron asked accusingly when he caught his breath.

"You can talk to snakes, Harry!" Anya cleared up when she saw the confused look on Harry's face.

"Well yeah. But can't everyone do that?" he asked.

"No. It's not a very common gift Harry," Hermione replied. "This is really bad."

"But why? If I hadn't told that snake to leave Justin alone, he'd be short a head."

"That's what you said to it?" Ron asked.

"All we heard was you talking in Parseltongue- snake language," Anya added.

"Harry, there's a reason that the symbol of Slytherin house is a serpent," Hermione began. "Salazar Slytherin was a Parselmouth- he could talk to snakes too."

"And now everyone's going to think that you're his great-great-great grandson or something," Ron finished.

"But I'm not!" Anya could see the worry in Harry's eyes as clear as daylight and she felt her heart clench. His worse fears seemed to be becoming a reality.

"Harry, for all we know, you very well could be. After all, Salazar Slytherin lived over a thousand years ago," Hermione stated.

"You guys, do you think you can give us a minute?" Anya asked Ron and Hermione. She didn't give them a chance to reply before she shooed them off. When she heard the doors close upstairs, she turned back to her other friend who had tears spilling from his eyes. "Harry... it's ok. Shh... It'll be alright," she comforted him as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

"Who am I Anya?" Anya felt her throat tighten when she heard the pitiful tone of his voice. "What am I?" His tears seeped through her sweater as his arms tightened around her frame. "What am I?"

"I don't know Harry..." was all she could say. _'But I'm going to find out!'_

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><p><em><strong>AC: How exactly am I going to find out about this? Honestly, I want to help, but I'm just a kid!<strong>_

_**MMM: Just have faith. It'll work out in the end.**_

_**AC: *looks skeptical* Al..right. You're the boss.**_

_**MMM: Well, that's it for today! Stay tuned for next chapter. And don't forget to review! It's that little button just below.**_

_**Nancy (aka megamatchmaker)  
><strong>_


	18. Year 2 Ch7

**_MMM: Ok, so I know it's kind of late to be posting a Christmas chapter, but I wrote this a couple weeks before Christmas. And besides, it's very vital that this chapter is posted now. You'll see why... *grins*_**

**_AC: I know why!_**_** It's because-**_

_**MMM: *clamps hand over Anya's mouth* Anya! Don't spoil it! *struggles to hold a squirming Anya***_

_**RW & HP: *pop up* We'll take her from here! *drags Anya off***_

_**MMM: Whew! That was close! Anyway, I'd like to thank everyone that's reviewed the last chapter and for those who watched the video trailer on youtube. Glad you all enjoyed it! Now on with the story!**_

_**As usual, I do not own HP series.**_

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><p><strong>Ch. 18 Christmas Surprises<strong>

Anya felt so drained by the time Christmas break rolled around. With the constant worry about who could be the next target of Slytherin's heir, making the Polyjuice Potion which required a lot of attention, and studying for mid-terms, Anya was dead on her feet by the time dinner rolled around; she nearly even fell asleep with her face in her plate once.

And if things couldn't get any worse, people were talking non-stop about Harry and this time, for all the wrong reasons. Most of them believed that Harry _was_ the heir, and they didn't go out of their way to hide it. The only people who seemed to think that the idea was a total joke were Fred and George.

"At least you have some people on your side Harry," Anya tried to reason with her friend as they walked outside in the chilly winter air. Anya rubbed her gloved hands together and tugged her cloak tighter around herself. _'Thank God I decided not to buy any of those stupids skirts again. I'd probably freeze my ass off out here!' _"Fred and George are just having a little laugh."

"Well they're the only ones," Harry almost barked, resting against the snow-covered ledge of a wall.

"Ok; number one- don't give _me_ attitude. I haven't done anything wrong. And number two- I'm trying my best to help you out but you're giving me more problems that I really can't handle right now. So could you please just get off my case?"

Harry groaned as he buried his face in his arms. "I'm sorry Anya. It's just that... I just found out that I can talk to snakes. What else is there about me that I don't know?" Anya could only shrug at the question.

"Everything alright?" Anya nearly jumped out of her skin and she spun on her heel to see Hermione and Ron standing behind her, each dressed from head to toe in warm cloaks and scarves.

"We're having a little bit of an issue with an identity crisis," Anya replied.

"Well I don't think you'll need to worry about that for long." Hermione leaned in closer as people walked by. "The potion will be ready by Christmas Eve and Malfoy's staying for the holidays. In a few days, we may know who truly is the heir of Slytherin."

It was later that same day that Justin Finch-Fletchley and Nearly-Headless Nick were found petrified. By the next day, the list for students heading home for the holidays had grown by large numbers.

,:~:,

"Come on you two!" Anya cheered as she came hopping into the boy's dorm room. "Time to get up!" She grinned as the boys yanked their blankets over their heads when she opened the curtains on the windows.

"What are you doing in here? You're not allowed in the boy's dorm Anya!" Ron accused.

Anya rolled her eyes as she plopped down onto the foot of his bed. "Oh, relax Ron! I may not be a boy, but I have to roll my cousins out of bed whenever I go to my aunt's place. And trust me when I say there are some things that you can never forget no matter how much you want to." She shuddered as the image of Brad in nothing but a pair of boxers. "Now come on! There's presents downstairs," she finished in a sing-song voice. She barely got out of the way before Ron jumped out of bed and raced downstairs in his pajamas.

"He sure is eager, isn't he?" asked a sleepy-eyed Harry as he slowly got out of bed. Anya barely was able to hold in her snort of laughter; his usual messy hair was standing up in every direction, making him look like a dark-haired Albert Einstein.

"Guess so... at least the only people downstairs are his brothers, Ginny, and-" Anya was cut off by a scream from downstairs. She laughed as Ron scurried back into the dorm room and shut the door behind him. Anya heard something thump against the wood seconds later.

"Bloody hell! Girls are really scary at the best of times," the redhead gasped.

"What was the scream about?" Harry asked as he tried to tame the tangled mess on top of his head.

"Hermione," both Ron and Anya replied. "Who else would scream at that?" Anya teased as she pointed to the white striped pajamas with a few holes in the slacks. She grabbed his housecoat off the trunk at the foot of his bed and tossed it at him. "Put that on and let's go."

"You look nice," Harry commented as they headed downstairs. Anya had already changed into a emerald green cowlneck sweater with a sprig of holly pinned to the collar, burgandy dress slacks, and black ankle boots. Her hair hung perfectly straight down her back, a black headband with fake rhinestone snowflakes resting on the crown of her head.

"Thanks Harry!" Anya beamed, tossing the pillow that Hermione threw at the door back onto the couch.

The gift exchange was a lot of fun. She recieved two new sets of jeans and a sweater that she'd been eyeing at the store for a while from her parents, a box of her favorite peach and ginger teas from Hagrid, a collective box of different sweets from Harry, a new copy of her favorite book _'Phantom of the Opera'_ from Hermione, several new feather quills from the Weasley children, and a cute purple beanie hat handmade by Mrs. Weasley that matched the gloves and scarf she got for her birthday.

"Wow! Thanks Anya!" Ron beamed as he tried on the Chudley Cannons jacket. "But how did you get this? It must have cost a fortune!"

"I saved up for gift shopping during the summer by working as a delivery girl for my parents' bakery and a newspaper route on the weekends," Anya shrugged it off. "You'd be surprised at how much of a tip a person will give you when you bring fresh goodies directly to their house." She remembered one kind elderly woman giving her a twenty when she delivered a box of cookies and some mini-tarts.

"Well I think that's it then," Fred stated as he tossed the wrapping paper into the trash.

"Hang on a minute," George spoke up and reached under the little tree. "There's one more gift." He held it out to Anya. "It's for you."

"Really? From who?" Anya asked as she took the small package. There was no name on it, but there was a small card tied to it under the ribbon. "What's this?" She opened the little paper.

"'The stars shine bright in the heavens above, but it is your radiant smile that I love.' How sweet!" Anya gushed. She smiled as she ripped the paper away to reveal a rectangular velvet box. When she opened it, she couldn't help but gasp.

Resting on the white silky cushion was the simplest and yet the most beautiful bracelet Anya ever saw. A pure silver French twist chain with three amethyst stars embedded into the metal.

"It's stunning," Hermione breathed from behind her. "Who gave it to you?"

"I don't know..." Anya brushed at her face when she felt tears. _'Who on earth would go to that much trouble for me? Ron couldn't afford this and Harry and Hermione know I don't expect anything this big from them. Mom and Dad? No- they would have signed the card. So who...?'_

"Well come on you lot!" the twins shouted. "Let's get ready and go outside!" Anya grinned and ran back upstairs to grab her coat and gloves, slipping her new accessory on her wrist as she went.

,:~:,

The small group of Gryffindors came trotting back into the castle several hours later. They had just spent the days playing in the snow; snowball fights, snow angels, building forts and snowmen. By the time they came back inside, their cheeks and noses were bright red from the cold and they couldn't stop laughing.

"This is a great Christmas you guys," Anya exclaimed as they made their way into the Great Hall for dinner. The others all agreed and toasted for a wonderful holiday before tucking into the one of the best turkey meals they ever had. Wizard firecrackers were opened, and Anya had a new set of black earmuffs, a wizard chess set, and a bag of Chocoballs.

"So who do you think sent you that bracelet Anya?" Hermione asked her friend when she noticed her fiddling with it as she gazed around the Hall.

"Hmm?" Anya barely acknowledged the brunette as she looked around. A dozen frost-covered Christmas trees lined the walls, streamers of holly and mistletoe hung across the ceiling, and warm and dry enchanted snow slowly fell from above. Up at the teacher's table, she watched as Hagrid got so drunk on eggnog, he looked ready to topple over.

"I'll be back you guys," Anya announced before hurrying upstairs to the common room. When she got back, she had her guitar case slung over her shoulder, a large bag in one hand and a mini-amplifier in the other. She passed the others entirely and walked up to where the professors sat.

"Excuse me Professor Dumbledore," she said to the headmaster who seemed to be in the middle of a conversation. "I was just wanting to give these out to you and the other professors and I was also wondering if you'd allow me to play a few Christmas songs?" She nudged her guitar.

"That would be lovely my dear, and thank you." Dumbledore's blue eyes twinkled merrily as he opened the box of sherbet lemon drops she'd given him. She grinned as Professor McGonagall gave an actual smile when she attached the cat pin to her robes and Hagrid boomed with laughter at the handmade scarf she made- it was at least three feet long with the outline of animals stitched on the edge. Even Snape was rather pleasant when he saw opened the box to reveal a new mini-cauldron made of some of the finest bronze. _'Guess he wasn't expecting anything that nice from a non-Slytherin student.'_ Luckily for Anya, her parents had helped pay for most of the gifts for the professors so they technically weren't from her.

"This is simply splended!" Lockhart cheered at the new peacock quill he received. "It will be just perfect for when I'm signing autographs!" Anya fought to hide her grimace, hoping that he wouldn't think she was eager for one. She only got him something so she didn't look like she was signaling him out- though she really wished she could.

"These smell wonderful! What is this scent?" Professor Sprout asked as she inhaled the smell from the arrangement of candles.

"The purple ones are lilac, the brown are sandalwood, and I'm afraid I don't remember the name of the pink ones, but I found that they smelt like the large flowers that hang from the ceiling in the greenhouse."

"Yes, as a matter of fact, they do. Thank you my dear."

"You're welcome. And Merry Christmas," Anya smiled before taking a seat on the stool Professor Dumbledore brought out for her, plugged the guitar into the amplifier and began playing a soft version of 'All I Want for Christmas'.

_There is just one thing I need_

_I don't care about the presents_

_Underneath the Christmas tree_

_I just want you for my own_

_More than you could ever know_

_Make my wish come true..._

_All I want for Christmas_

_Is you..._

_I don't want a lot for Christmas_

_There is just one thing I need_

_I don't care about presents_

_Underneath the Christmas tree_

_I don't need to hang my stocking_

_There upon the fireplace_

_Santa Claus won't make me happy_

_With a toy on Christmas day_

_I just want you for my own_

_More than you could ever know_

_Make my wish come true_

_All I want for Christmas is you..._

_You baby_

_I won't ask for much this Christmas_

_I won't even wish for snow_

_I'm just gonna keep on waiting_

_Underneath the mistletoe_

_I won't make a list and send it_

_To the North Pole for Saint Nick_

_I won't even stay awake to_

_Hear those magic reindeer click_

_'Cause I just want you here tonight_

_Holding on to me so tight_

_What more can I do_

_Baby all I want for Christmas is you_

_You..._

_All the lights are shining_

_So brightly everywhere_

_And the sound of children's_

_Laughter fills the air_

_And everyone is singing_

_I hear those sleigh bells ringing_

_Santa won't you bring me the one I really need_

_Won't you please bring my baby to me_

_Oh I don't want a lot for Christmas_

_This is all I'm asking for_

_I just want to see baby_

_Standing right outside my door_

_Oh I just want him for my own_

_More than you could ever know_

_Make my wish come true_

_Baby all I want for Christmas is_

_You_

_All I want for Christmas is you baby_

_[repeat] _

Anya continued singing songs for the next hour or so, only taking breaks to take a sip of water. She sang Bing Crosby's famous 'White Christmas', 'Blue Christmas' by Elvis Presley, 'Last Christmas; by Wham, 'Hey Santa' by Wilson Phillips, and a few of the more traditional, holy Christmas carols. When she was finished she noticed that all the students were gone, including her friends. She excused herself from the teachers and practically ran out of the Hall with her guitar and amplifier in hand, taking the fastest route up to Myrtle's bathroom. When her foot landed on the last flight of stairs, she bumped into Crabbe and Goyle.

"Out of my way, you losers!" she hissed at them.

"Anya, it's us!" Crabbed replied and she turned in surprise. Why would they call her by her first name? Unless...

"Ron?" she whispered. Crabbe nodded his head in reply. "Holy crap! You guys already took the potion without me?"

"Sorry Anya," Goyle-Harry apologized. "But we didn't have any time to warn you that we were starting the plan. We didn't want the teachers to get suspicous."

"Alright... I guess that- Hey wait a second. Where's Hermione?" Anya looked around, but she couldn't see anyone else.

"She's up in the bathroom. Won't come out," Ron replied.

"Well you guys go. I'll go see what's the matter with Hermione." And with that, she dashed off to the bathroom. When she opened the door, she heard sniffling. "Hermione? Are you in here? It's Anya."

"Go away!" her friend replied. At least, she _thought_ it was her friend: the voice was very high pitched for a human being.

"Hermione, what's wrong? Why aren't you with the guys?" Anya placed her things down by the sinks and stepped closer to the cubicles. As she did, Myrtle came out through the wooden door. She seemed to be _glowing_ with glee.

"Wait 'til you see... it's _terrible_," she giggled.

"Myrtle, don't be mean. That's my friend you're talking about," Anya replied. She knocked on the door. "Hermione? Let me in."

"No!"

Anya sighed and crossed her arms across her chest. "I'm not leaving, you know. And I can easily open that door with one simple spell. So either you make me stand around here and force my hand, or you can-" She was cut off when she heard the bolt slide open. The door swung open, but it was so dark that Anya could hardly see anything except the outline of Hermione's head hidden by the Slytherin robes that she had snagged from the laundry.

"Hermione? What happened?" She reached out to her friend but Hermione backed away. "Hey... it's alright. It's just me," she cooed as though she were talking with a frightened child. Eventually Hermione pulled the robe off her head and Anya bit her lip to keep from gasping.

Hermione's face was covered in black fur, two long pointed ears poked through her hair at the top of her head, and her usual brown eyes were now completely yellow with black slits. Anya could see tears tracks glisten against the black fur.

"It was a c-cat's hair! I t-took a hair from M-Millicent Bulstrode's r-robes thinking it was hers! She must h-have a c-cat!" Hermione cried. "And the p-potion's not made for animal t-transformations!"

"Oh Hermione," Anya cried for her friend as she pulled her in for a hug, sympathetically patting her back. She noticed a long black tail poking from the end of Hermione's robe as it swished from side to side.

They stood like that for about an hour; Anya holding her friend close while she tried to comfort the poor girl. When the boys returned to the bathroom, they were back to normal, but Hermione was still half-cat. It took a little coaxing, but they eventually were able to persuade Hemione into leaving the bathroom so that they could bring her to Madame Pomfrey. They quickly changed back into their Gryffindor uniforms- Hermione having a little difficulty due to her new appearance- before they all made their way up to the hospital wing.

"Someone pulled some kind of cruel prank on her and now she can't seem to turn back to normal," Anya lied smoothly to the school matron as she buzzed around Hermione's bed. "I think it was some sort of potion that was put in those anonymous cauldron cakes she recieved."

"Well it should take a week or two before it wears off," Madame Pomfrey announced, much to Hermione's dismay. "Now I suggest you get out so that this young lady can rest."

"Bye Hermione. We'll see you in the morning," Harry said as they left.

"So what did you guys find out?" Anya asked the boys as they sat around in the common room.

"We learnt that Malfoy isn't the heir of Slytherin," Ron replied. "But at least it wasn't a total waste. Turns out that Lucius Malfoy has some really dark magical items hidden away under the floorboards of his drawing room. I'm going to go send Dad an owl to check there when they go raid Malfoy Manor again." And with a quick 'goodnight', Ron ran upstairs.

"Well... that's one name we can scratch off the list," Anya said.

"Yeah... and it makes me look like the culprit more and more," Harry mumbled, but Anya still caught every word. She reached across the couch and squeezed his hand.

"We'll find out who it really is and clear your name Harry. I promise." And when Anya Collins made a promise, she kept it.

Harry gave a small smile, one that didn't reach his eyes. "Thanks Anya. What would I do without you?" He draped his arm around her and hugged her in to his side. "On second thought- don't tell me. I don't want to know."

"Ditto," Anya replied.

"By the way, I heard you singing in the Great Hall at dinner tonight. I didn't know that you sung like that." Anya felt her cheeks flame up with embarrassment at her friend's words. "I'm serious- you're really good. Even Malfoy noticed." Her embarrassment quickly changed to confusion, but Harry didn't say anything more on the subject. He merely said his 'goodnights' and headed up to the boy's dorm room, leaving Anya alone with her thoughts.

_'Malfoy talked about me? Why would he do that? And what did he say?'_

* * *

><p><em><strong>MMM: So I hope you all liked this chapter. It was a lot of fun writing.<strong>_

_**AC: I had to give Snape and Lockhart gifts? How pathetic can I get?**_

_**MMM: Technically, the gifts for the teachers are from your parents. So they're not really from you.**_

_**AC: But why do I feel like it's going to bite me in the ass later on?**_

_**MMM: Because it will.**_

_**AC: And who gave me that bracelet?  
><strong>_

_**MMM: Who do you think?**_

_**AC: Malfoy, right?**_

**_MMM: You'll see... in about several months._**

**_AC: What?_**

**_MMM: Please review! *runs away from fuming Anya*  
><em>**

_**Nancy (aka megamatchmaker)**  
><em>


	19. Year 2 Ch8

**_MMM: Hi everyone! Happy Valentine's Day! Little early I know, but I've always been an early worm. ;P Well, let's get this chapter started, huh?_**

**_AC: Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hold up here! It's Valentine's Day?_**

**_MMM: Yes._**

**_AC: *dives under bed* I'm not joining this and you can't make me!_**

**_MMM: Actually, I can. I'm the writer, remember?_**

**_AC: ..._**

**_MMM: Get out from under there Anya._**

**_AC: ..._**

**_MMM: Anya?_**

**_AC: ..._**

**_MMM: ANYA! *huffs and turns to audience* I'm so sorry people. You guys go ahead and read while I try to get Anya to come out from under my bed. As usual, I don't own Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, or anything that is directly related to the Harry Potter series.  
><em>**

* * *

><p><strong>Ch. 19 Diaries, Valentines and Weirdness<strong>

When people got back to Hogwarts after the break, the rumors about Hermione being petrified had grown as she stayed in the hospital wing each day. They tried to see her as they passed by, but Madame Pomfrey had pulled the curtains close around her bed and she only allowed Harry, Ron, and Anya to come in and visit the poor girl.

Anya was furious when some random student would come up to her and start asking questions about her friend. "She wasn't doing so hot during the break and she had to go see Madame Pomfrey who simply said she'd need to stick around there for a while, and that's all I'm saying to you!" she shouted at one point.

"So have you learnt anything new yet?" Hermione asked them Friday night. Her face had lost the coat of black fur and the ears and tail were gone, but her eyes still remained somewhat cat-like.

"Nope," Anya said, making sure to pop the 'p' in her words. "Not a peep."

"And I was so sure that it was Malfoy," Ron said gloomily.

"Yeah Ron, we know... you've said it about a hundred times already." Anya couldn't help but roll her eyes as she said this.

"Hey, what's that?" Harry asked, pointing to a small piece of gold that was sticking out from underneath Hermione's pillow. She tried to tuck it away and out of sight, but Ron was too fast for her and he opened it.

"'To Ms. Granger, wishing you a speedy recovery, from your concerned teacher, Professor Gilderoy Lockhart, Order of Merlin, Third Class, Honorary Member of the Dark Force Defense League, and five-time winner of Witch Weekly's Most- Charming-Smile Award,'" he read out loud.

"Hermione, you actually keep that thing under your pillow?" Anya asked in disgust. "How creepy can you get?" But Hermione was saved by the bell when Madam Pomfrey came in with her daily does of medicine, ushering the three friends out.

"Lord knows I love Hermione like my own sister, but this whole infatuation with that blonde twit Lockhart is starting to really get on my bad side," Anya commented as they headed up to Gryffindor common room. Both boys nodded their head in agreement.

As they passed the second floor, they heard the angry outburst from Mr. Filch. Curious, the three headed down the hall to investigate. They barely were able to hide behind a large suit of armor- and in Anya's case, a large tapistry- before he passed by.

"-even more work for me! Mopping all night, like I haven't got enough to do! No, this is the final straw, I'm going to Dumbledore-" Filch grumbled and groaned as he headed off to the Headmaster's office, the sound of his steps magnified by the sloshing of water.

"What do you think that was all about?" Ron asked as they came out of their hiding spots.

"If it involves a lot of water and needing to mop, then it must be Myrtle," And replied. "She sometimes floods the bathroom when she gets really upset." She hoisted her bag higher up onto her shoulder. "Look you guys, normally I'd be one to go and see if Myrtle's alright, but I really want to go and get this potions homework done before Snape decides to pile even more onto it. The last thing I want is to be convicted of murder before the age of thirteen."

"It's alright Anya. We'll go check it out," Harry reassured her. And with that, she left the boys to go up to her dorm room so she could begin on the mountain of books.

A few days later, Hermione was out of the hospital wing and back to her usual habits. When Harry showed the girls a small black diary, she was curious.

It was fifty years old and apparently had belonged to someone called Tom Marvelo Riddle. Anya was sure she had heard of the name before but she couldn't place her finger on where.

Hermione had believed that this Tom guy may have known something about the Chamber of Secrets and maybe had written something in the diary and kept it hidden, but no matter what she did to it, nothing appeared on the pages.

"Let's face it you guys," Anya said as they headed for their next class. "Whoever this guy was, he probably got that diary as a gift and didn't bother wasting his time writing in it and I don't blame him. I find diaries are overrated." _'A book where you write your personal thoughts and feelings and people can easily go and read it? Yeah, like I'd go and do something _that_ dumb!'_ she thought.

Things around the school had seemed to quiet down as well. With everone on high alert, there had been no attacks since Justin and Nick. Some people still believed that Harry had been the culprit, but other than that, things were pretty calm.

Of course, that didn't stop Lockhart from taking credit. He was positive that _he_ had been the one to stop the attacks. He had even gone as far as to tell Professor McGonagall so as the Gryffindors lined up for Transfiguration.

"I don't think there'll be any more trouble, Minerva," he said, tapping his nose knowingly and winking. "I think the Chamber has been locked for good this time. The culprit must have known it was only a matter of time before I caught him. Rather sensible to stop now, before I came down hard on him.

"You know, what the school needs now is a morale-booster. Wash away the memories of last term! I won't say any more just now, but I think I know just the thing..." He tapped his nose again and strode off.

,:~:,

"Oh, man!" Anya hissed as she hopped around on one foot, slipping her sneakers on as she waited for the staircase to change. "I'm going to be so late!" The cool breeze of mid-February passed by and she shivered.

"Anya!" She turned around to see that Harry had called her, fixing his tie as he ran. "Thank goodness... I thought I was the only one that was late." When they finally arrived at the Great Hall, the two friends thought that they may of walked through the wrong doors.

Everything was covered in various shades of reds and pinks: lurid pink flowers on the walls, red heart-shaped confetti fell from the clear-blue ceiling, and almost every female student seemed to be overcome with girlish giggles.

"Please don't tell me that it's today," Anya groaned. "Valentine's day has to be with out a doubt my least favorite holiday."

"Why do you say that?" Harry asked as they headed over to Gryffindor table.

"Are you kidding me? It's so commercial; the over-priced chocolates, flower shops get buried in orders for arrangements, and don't get me started on how tacky most cards can be! And it's not even a real holiday- you don't get the day off or anything," she replied as she plopped down onto the bench. She looked over at Ron who was staring at the teacher's table with utter disgust and Hermione couldn't stop giggling and smiling.

"What's up with you?" Anya asked, wiping off confetti from her toast before eating it plain. She didn't even want to so much as look at the heart-shaped bowls of strawberry jams.

Ron just pointed at the teachers, too disgusted to speak, and Anya nearly choked on her toast when she looked. Standing at the table, dressed in robes that matched the flowery walls so perfectly, was Gilderoy Lockhart himself.

"When I said that he batted for the pink team, I didn't think I'd actually be right," she joked.

"Happy Valentine's Day!" Lockhart cheered. "And may I thank the forty-six people who have so far sent me cards! Yes, I have taken the liberty of arranging this little surprise for you all- and it doesn't end here!" He clapped his hands and the doors to the Great Hall opened to reveal...

Dwarfs. And not just any dwarfs, but ones dressed with golden wings and diapers, carrying harps. Anya felt sorry for the little guys who were standing there with surly faces.

"My friendly, card-carrying cupids!" beamed Lockhart. "They will be roving around the school today delivering your valentines! And the fun doesn't stop here! I'm sure my colleagues will want to enter into the spirit of the occasion! Why not ask Professor Snape to show you how to whip up a Love Potion! And while you're at it, Professor Flitwick knows more about Entrancing Enchantments than any wizard I've ever met, the sly old dog!" Professor Flitwick was red with embarassment and Snape looked ready to pour poison down people's throats if they asked him for a love potion.

"And I would also like to ask if young Ms. Anya Collins would be interested in possibly singing a little something for the ocassion?" Anya's head snapped up so fast, she could have sworn it would have flown right off.

"Say what?" she almost yelled.

"Come on up my dear! Don't be shy!" the blonde professor cheered. Anya looked around to see everyone was staring at her and although she would of loved to make a fool out of the infamous wizard, she didn't want to look like a fool herself. So with great reluctance, she got up and walked to the front of the hall.

_'Fine then. He wants me to sing, then I will...'_ she thought as she shrugged off her outer black robe. She looked over to the band that Lockhart had brought in. "Can you guys play 'Once Upon a Dream'?" They nodded in reply. "Great. Then speed it up a couple notches and add a little rock 'n' roll feel to it," she smiled before going to sing.

_I know you_

_I walked with you once upon a dream_

_I know you_

_The gleam in your eyes is so familiar a gleam_

_I know it's true_

_That visions are seldom all they seem_

_But if I know you_

_I know what you'll do_

_You'll love me at once_

_The way you did once upon a dream_

_Once upon a time,_

_I dreamed we'd be together..._

_In love forever._

_Once upon a night,_

_I was wishing for a never..._

_A never ending._

_Once upon a time, once upon a night,_

_Once upon a wish, once upon a dream..._

_I know you_

_I danced with you once upon a night_

_There we were_

_Wishing this dance will last forever all time_

_I hope it's true,_

_This vision is more than what it seems_

_Cause if dreams come true_

_I know what we'll do_

_Well dance once again_

_The way we did then_

_Upon a dream._

_Once upon a time,_

_I dreamed we'd be together..._

_In love forever._

_Once upon a night,_

_I was wishing for a never..._

_A never ending._

_Once upon a time, once upon a night,_

_Once upon a wish, once upon a dream..._

_Yeah, yeah, yeeeah!_

_Once upon a night_

_I was wishing for a never_

_A never ending_

_Once upon a time, once upon a night,_

_once upon a wish, once upon a love..._

_Once upon a time, once upon a night,_

_once upon a wish..._

_Once upon a dream [x3]_

Anya smiled at the round of applause she received. Sure, she may have just helped heighten Lockhart's popularity, but she couldn't find it in herself to care. When she sang, everything else just disappeared.

,:~:,

Unfortunately things didn't go so well after breakfast. Throughout the whole day, dwarfs came bursting into classes to deliver valentines. The teachers were far from pleased and so was Anya. At least she didn't received any of the singing telegrams or soppy romance letters.

But she was worried that that small comfort would soon end. After all, if the person who sent her the lovely bracelet came to Hogwarts, then what were the chances that they wouldn't send her a valentine too? Granted, she had accepted the gift from her admirer, but Anya drew the line at Valentine's Day.

As the four friends made their way to charms class after lunch, Harry received his share of embarassment.

"I got a musical message to deliver to 'Arry Potter," one of the dwarfs said as he came up to the group, a creepy and almost sinister smile across his face.

"Not here!" Harry hissed and Anya understood why: a group of first years students happened to be passing by at the time, and Ron's little sister Ginny was in said group. He tried to get away but the dwarf grabbed at the end of his bag, causing it to rip and sent his things spilling over the floor, his bottle of scarlet ink smashing over everything. And when he tried to make a run for it, the dwarf grabbed him by the knees and sent him crashing.

"Hey, get off of him!" Anya shouted at the dwarf who sat down on Harry's legs to prevent him from moving. But he just snapped his sharp teeth at her before she could push him away and she barely avoided losing a finger.

"Right," he said. "Here is your singing valentine: His eyes are as green as a fresh pickled toad, His hair is as dark as a blackboard. I wish he was mine, he's really divine, The hero who conquered the Dark Lord!"

Everyone in the hall laughed at the rhymes to the valentine and Anya saw Harry laugh along with them, though she knew that he probably was wishing that the ground would swallow him whole. She glared after the retreating dwarf as she helped her friend up to his feet and gather his things.

"Alright, nothing to see here. Off you go- the bell rang five minutes ago." _'Ah Percy, always the last one to arrive when needed,_' Anya thought as she heard him try and disperse the crowd. "And you Malfoy-"

Anya watched as Malfoy bent down and scooped something off the floor. As he leered at it with his cronies, the real Crabbe and Goyle, Anya and Harry saw Tom Riddle's diary clutched in his hand.

"Wonder what Potter's been writing in this," Malfoy said, clearly not noticing the age of the book or the name printed into the back of the cover.

"Hand it over Malfoy," Percy demanded.

"Once I've had a look." Anya glared as the blonde taunted Harry by waving it in his face. Before anyone could say anything, Harry and Anya both had their wands out of their pockets and disarmed him of the book. Ron caught it before Crabbe or Goyle could and raced back to their side.

Percy had said something about the two getting reported for using magic in the corridors, but they thought nothing of it. "Way to go Harry!" Anya cheered as she high-fived her friend. Then she turned back to smirk at Malfoy, twirling the piece of ash wood in her fingers. "Lose something?" she teased. The blonde just stomped off and she followed her friends to class.

"Hey Anya," Harry whispered halfway through the lesson.

"What is it?" Anya whispered back while scribbling down quick notes.

"Look at this." He held up the diary.

"So what? It's just Riddle's diary- not something I needed to see again you know."

"No I mean look at it!" She stared hard at the book, as if she looked long enough the answer would appear. "And look at everything else," Harry nodded towards the pile of his other books that were all covered in scarlet ink. Then it clicked.

"It's clean," she whispered, taking the book from Harry's hand and turning it over, finding the back as clean as the front. She even flipped through the pages and each were as dry as the night before. She distinctly remembered seeing the ink bottle smash open directly onto the diary. "How's that possible?"

"I don't know. Hey Ron, do you-" But Ron wasn't paying attention to either of them. His wand had been acting up and now large purple bubbles were coming out of the end. He seemed to think that was more interesting than anything else.

Then the door to the classroom burst open again and in came one little dwarf who seemed to look a little drunk almost. He looked around the room and when he spotted Anya, he stumbled over to her desk.

"Oy there!" he slurred and Anya could smell the firewhisky on his breath. "I got a special telegram fer you and I'm suppose ter make sure you get it." He held out a pale pink letter.

"Thanks," Anya grimaced as she took the letter. She waited until the dwarf left the room before levatating the paper into the air. "_Incendio_," she muttered and watched as the letter burst into flames that died as quickly as they started. When she looked around, she saw all eyes on her. "Can we get back to the actual _lesson_ here people!" And with that, Professor Flitwick continued speaking.

"Wow..." Ron breathed. "You must really dislike Valentine's Day, huh?"

"You have no idea," Anya muttered, turning back to her notebook and began to doodle at random. All the while, she never noticed a particular pair of eyes that stared at her from the other side of the room.

* * *

><p><em><strong>MMM: Well, I'm sorry- Anya Collins refuses to come out from her 'hiding spot'. But don't worry. She will very soon. *grins* She forgets that she had three tall glasses of ice tea and a bottle of water.<strong>_

_**Anyway, please read and review!**_

_**Nancy (aka megamatchmaker)  
><strong>_


	20. Year 2 Ch9

**_AC: Hey people! So we're back. And just want to thank everyone that reviewed the last chapter. Glad you guys enjoyed it so much. So anyway, let's read!_**

**_MMM: Anya? Aren't you forgetting something?_**

**_AC: Oh yeah! Right! Megamatchmaker does not own anything Harry Potter related._**

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><p><strong>Ch. 20 Revelations and Petrified<strong>

If Anya thought that just another piece of homework from Snape was a bad thing, then she wasn't sure what to make of the news she heard from Harry in the morning. Somehow, Tom Riddle's diary had sucked Harry back into the past when Tom had been a student at Hogwarts during the attacks fifty years ago. Tom had been Headboy and had apprehended the culprit- Hagrid.

"But it can't be Hagrid!" Anya exclaimed as they walked into the courtyard. "Sure, he may like monstrous creatures a little more than most people, but he would never hurt anyone!"

"But the monster had _killed_ someone Anya!" Harry reminded her. "What could any of us had done?"

"If you ask me, that Tom Riddle sounds like a dirty rotten snitch to me," Ron spoke his mind. "How can you be sure that you could trust him?" Anya agreed. Harry himself said that he had seen the Slytherin house symbol on Tom's school robes, and she knew that you could _never_ trust a Slytherin.

Hermione spoke up. "Look... Hagrid is our friend. Why don't we just go and ask him?"

Anya gave the brunette a funny look. "Oh yeah Hermione- that sounds like a _great_ idea: let's go and see the man who has been nothing but nice to us and accuse him of letting out some sort of monster and playing sic 'em on students. Like _that_ will go over well."

"That'll be a cheerful visit: 'Hello Hagrid. Tell us, have you been setting anything mad and hairy loose in the castle lately?'" Ron pretended to have a conversation with a very tall person.

"Mad and hairy?" The four friends jumped as they heard Hagrid's voice from directly behind them. _'How much of that did he hear?'_ Anya thought worriedly. The last thing she wanted to do was make him think that they _actually_ suspected him. "You wouldn't be talkin' about me now would yer?"

"No!" Anya grimaced when they all replied a little too quickly. "So what's that Hagrid?" Harry asked, pointing to the large container in Hagrid's hand.

"Flesh-Eating-Slug Repellent," Hagrid replied as he showed them the label. "For the Mandrakes. Once their acne is cleared up, we'll be able ter chop 'em up and stew 'em, and then we'll get those people in the hospital un-petrified.

"But fer the time, yeh four had best look after yerselves, alright?" he nodded to them.

"Sure thing Hagrid," Anya said with a perfect smile; inside, she felt like she was going to collapse with the guilt she felt. Just then, she saw Neville come running out of the castle.

"Harry! I don't know who did it, but you better come!" he gasped and showed the four friends back up to the castle. When they got up to the boy's dorm in Gryffindor tower, Anya gasped.

Everything in there was ruined: the sheets were shredded, books torn apart, drawers open and ramsacked. Everything was a total disaster. Hedwig was locked away in her cage and she was hooting insanely.

"It's ok girl," Anya cooed to the frightened bird while Harry began shuffling through the mess.

"It had to of been a Gryffindor- no one else knows our password," Hermione stated as she and Ron helped Harry. "Unless it wasn't a student."

"Well whoever it was, they must have been looking for something," Anya commented, picking up the pillow at the head of Harry's bed, its down feathers oozing out from the several jagged cuts into the material.

"And they found it. Tom Riddle's diary is gone," Harry said.

"But who would take it? It looks like any other ordinary diary so unless they knew what it can do, they wouldn't have wanted it badly enough to tear everything to shreds," Anya said.

"That's just it though, isn't it?" Ron asked. "If they know how to use it, then they could find out about the last time the chamber was open and look like some sort of hero for coming in with who they thought it was last time!"

"What are you talking about?" Anya almost jumped. She'd forgotten that Neville was still in the room with them.

"Don't worry about it Neville... everything will be fine." _'I hope,'_ she added mentally.

,:~:,

"So you coming to the Quidditch match today Anya?" Ron asked through a mouthful of breakfast sausages and scrambled eggs.

Anya scrunched her face up. "Ron! That's so gross! Can't you ever talk when your mouth isn't full?"

He gulped the food down and gave a sheepish grin. "Sorry... so how about it?"

"I'd love to, but I can't," she replied as she finished off her cereal. "I need to get that potions essay done for tomorrow. I still have another ten pages to finish writing. If I can, I'll try and make it before the game's over." She shoved her arms through the sleeves of her navy blue sweater as it got colder. She was so glad that she didn't have to wear her uniform on weekends- the school slacks weren't nearly as warm as her favorite jeans.

"Alright. We'll see you later. Come on Ron," Harry said and with that, the two boys left. Anya sighed before getting up herself and headed upstairs to the library with her bag in hand.

But unfortunately for Anya, she couldn't concentrate on her schoolwork. Every time she tried, the name Tom Marvelo Riddle would pop into her head and she'd be left with nothing done. Huffing, she took a new sheet of paper and wrote the name down in big bold letters along the top.

A little habit of Anya's was that she would often take a person's full name and with it, make smaller words out of it. Sometimes it was pointless words, others were ones that described the person, or even new names completely.

So she began to just write things at random, simply scribbling over the page whenever and wherever. Occasionally, she would doodle as well, but most of the time, she would just be writing.

"Where is it?" she heard someone hiss and she looked up in time to see a mane of brown hair rush by. But before she could say anything to her, Hermione had already turned around the corner. Anya sighed. _'Probably going to get another book for an assignment I haven't even started yet.'_

When she looked back down at her paper, she saw that she had nearly covered the entire page with words and scribbles. But as she was about to roll it up, she saw two words together; 'volt' and 'mort', the space between the two words almost non-existent.

"Voltmort- now that's a name," she laughed only to stop short.

_'Voltmort... why does that sound so familiar? Let's see: V-olt-mort... Volt-e-mort... Volt-e-mort... VOLDEMORT!'_ The word seemed to just jump right off the page. _'No, that can't be! Can it?'_

Taking a new page, she re-wrote the name and began to cross out the letters. And sure enough, written right underneath 'TOM MARVOLO RIDDLE' were the words 'I AM LORD VOLDEMORT'.

Anya's hand was trembling so much that her quill fell through her fingers, the ink oozing off the tip and messing up the page.

"Oh Anya! Thank goodness I found you!" Anya did jump that time when she heard Hermione's voice from behind her. "I think I figured out what is in the Chamber of Secrets!"

"And I think I may have just found out who the heir of Slytherin is," she shot back. "Come on!" She grabbed her bag and ran out of the library with Hermione right on her heels.

"Wait! Do you have a mirror or something in your bag?"

"Hermione, now is _really _not the time to be worrying about looks!" Anya hissed but she still dug into her schoolbag. When her hand closed over the plastic, she pulled out the small round compact mirror and handed it over.

"I don't need it for make-up Anya. It's for protection." When Anya gave her a look, she continued.

"The monster in the chamber- it's a basilisk. It's this massive snake that can survive for hundreds if not thousands of years. Besides the poison in its venom, its eyes are the deadly thing about it: they can kill a person who looks directly at it."

"So how the hell does a mirror protect a person from something that can kill you with its eyes?" Anya asked, watching as Hermione used the mirror to look around the corner. She figured the coast must have been cleared because Hermione beckoned her to follow.

"Because seeing its reflection is what petrifies you," Hermione replied.

"Think about it: whe Mrs. Norris had seen it, there was water on the floor. Water has a reflective surface, right? Next was Colin. My guess is that the lenses in his camera were what saved him and the person behind the attacks destroyed the film inside the camera. And as for Justin and Nick-"

"Justin saw the basilisk through Nick which acted as a protection and because Nick is a ghost, he can't die twice!" Anya finished, realizing that what her friend was saying made sense.

"Exactly!" Hermione held up a piece of paper. "I grabbed this from one of the books in the library."

"You tore a page out of a book?" Anya exclaimed as she took the paper from her hand. Hermione Granger was the last person she would have ever suspected to ruin a book.

"It says that spiders flee from the basilisk seeing as it's their enemy and that the basilisk flees from roosters seeing as its cry is fatal," Hermione continued.

"We saw spiders scurrying away from the sight where Mrs. Norris was attacked... and Harry said he saw spiders when he found Justin and Nick. And Hagrid said something about the school roosters being strangled and some were cut open. That would explain the bloody message on Halloween night," Anya stated. Everything was fitting together like the pieces of a puzzle.

"Exactly!" Hermione replied, taking back the paper and crumbling it into her fist.

"But how could it get around? It's not like people wouldn't notice a sixty foot long snake slithering through the school."

"It's using the pipes that run through the walls." Hermione was always ready with an answer. "Think about it- the pipes run throughout the entire school and probably hundreds of miles beneath it. It would be the perfect place to built a hidden chamber."

"And no one would suspect to look in bathrooms or underground. Hermione, you're brilliant!" Anya couldn't help but smile. So many questions had been answered now. Even Harry's hearing voices at times- it was the basilisk going through the walls!

"Thanks. You said something about the heir of Slytherin. What did you find out?"

Anya felt her face go pale. "It was Tom Riddle.

"You know how when I get bored, I start writing words with other people's names?" She waited until Hermione nodded. "Well, I couldn't get Tom's name out of my head so I figured that the best way to do it was to make up words with his name. Anyway, at one point I found two words side by side and together they sounded a lot like-" Anya was cut off.

But it wasn't by Hermione. It wasn't even by another person. She was cut off by a strange noise... one that sounded like hissing that was coming from _behind them_.

Hermione raised the mirror up with a trembling hand and let out a gasp. The last thing that Anya remembered was looking into the mirror and seeing a pair of large yellow eyes.

,:~:,

"Potter..." Professor McGonagall addressed Harry as she walked off the pitch and over to the young wizard. People were rushing by as they headed back to their dormitories when they heard that the Quidditch match of the day had been canceled. "You and I had better go find Mr. Weasley. There's something that you both should see."

Unsure of what the professor meant, Harry followed her as she went off to find Ron and when she did, she led them into the castle and up to the hospital wing.

"There has been another attack- another double attack in fact. Now I warn you, this may be a bit of a shock," she warned them before opening the doors.

Madame Pomfrey was bustling around two bed that had been placed side by side. When the boys walked closer, their stomachs turned to solid blocks of ice.

Lying still on the beds, both with glassy eyes wide with terror, were Hermione and Anya.

"Oh no..." Ron whispered, his knees giving out from underneath him. Harry himself had to lean against his broomstick for support.

"They were found near the library... along with this." McGonagall held up the compact mirror in her hand. "Does this mean anything?" Both boys shook their heads, unable to open their mouths in fear of being sick. She placed the mirror back onto the table and turned to the matron. "Polly, why don't we give them a minute..." and the two elder witches left the room.

"This is terrible. Who could of done this? Hermione and Anya would never hurt anyone!" Harry didn't know how to answer Ron. All he could do was stare at the horrified faces of his friends. He reached out and took Anya's hand in his. It was rigid and as cold as ice.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AC: You petrified me? How could you?<strong>_

_**MMM: Easily. I just typed it.**_

_**AC: That's not what I mean!**_

_**MMM: Yeah, I know. But think about it. You just figured out who was really behind the attack. We couldn't let you go telling Harry and Ron now, couldn't we?**_

_**AC: I guess. But there better be something good that comes out of this or I'm gonna sue.**_

_**MMM: How? You're a fictional character and I'm writing this for free.**_

_**AC: *grumbles and walks off***_

_**MMM: *laughs* Well, that's all for now! See you next week! Don't forget to read and review!**_

_**Nancy (aka megamatchmaker)  
><strong>_


	21. Year 2 Ch10

_**MMM: So here is chapter 21, and the end of year 2. And for those who have been waiting patiently, the next year will have a lot more Draco moments.**_

_**DM: Finally! I was wondering when I'd show up!**_

_**AC: Does he have to? I mean, couldn't we just tie him up and feed him to the basilisk? *smirks at Draco's terrified expression*  
><strong>_

_**MMM: The basilisk is already dead. You can't feed him to something that isn't even breathing.**_

_**AC: Aw, damn!**_

_**MMM: *shakes head at OC* As I was saying, there will be more Draco and Anya scenes next ear. And as usual, I don't own Harry Potter or anyone else from the series.**_

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><p><strong>Ch. 21 Reunions<strong>

"Ugh..." Anya groaned. Everything in her body ached; her head felt as though it would explode, her throat was as dry as the deserts of Egypt, and her limbs were as heavy as two tonnes of lead. She tried to open her eyes, but the faintest crack of light only made the pain in her skull intensify.

_'So this is what it feels like after being petrified,'_ Anya thought.

"You're awake," she heard someone say and she tried to open her eyes again. The images were a little blurry, but she could make out the red and white uniform that Madame Pomfrey always wore.

Then the panic set in. The second-year Gryffindor began to shake and thrash around in her bed, her eyes darting around to find the monstrous snake that she had seen last. It wasn't until she heard the soothing voice of the matron that she finally calmed down. Then the woman gave her something to drink and she fell into a peaceful slumber.

When Anya woke up again, she could see dark indigo skies and stars. She checked her watch: it was almost dawn... a _week_ after she and Hermione had been attacked. Speaking of Hermione, Anya turned in her bed to see said brunette was sleeping peacefully and no longer petrified. In fact, it looked like all the vicitms had returned to normal.

Anya was just about to get out of bed, but she heard footsteps coming to the room so she quickly fell back onto the bed and closed her eyes, pretending to be alseep.

"When the children have come to, you will inform them of what has happened and that Hogwarts is to be closed by the morning," she heard Professor McGonagall's voice.

"I just wish there was something that could be done for that poor girl," Madame Pomfrey replied. "She was so young. And her parents! I met them many times when their sons played Quidditch... they'll be devastated."

"Yes, I understand... but I'm afraid that Ginny Weasley's fate is out of our hands. We can only hope that we can protect the other students." The fall of footsteps reached Anya's ears again before the sound of a door opening and closing.

Anya opened one eye and looked around. When she saw that the coast was clear, she ever so quietly slipped out bed, a shiver shooting up her spine as the cold from the stone floors seeped through her socks. She looked around, saw her sneakers were sitting at the foot of her bed, and snatched them and yanked them onto her feet.

Being careful to not wake anyone or alert the two elder witches of her presence, Anya crept over to the door and squeezed through. But when she was outside of the hospital wing, she wasn't sure where to go next.

Should she go back to Gryffindor tower and tell Harry and Ron what she had heard? No, Ron would have already been told about his sister. Then maybe tell them about what she and Hermione had learnt in the library? But there was no paper in Hermione's hand, so there was the chance that they had found it. Go see Professor Dumbledore? If only she knew where his office was!

"Myrtle," Anya breathed before dashing off down the grand staircase two at a time.

,:~:,

"Myrtle!" Anya cried as she pushed into the broken bathroom. "Myrtle, where are you?"

The young ghost's face poked through the door of her cubicle. Anya could see silvery tear tracks on her face and when Myrtle saw who it was, a grin bloomed on her face.

"Anya!" Myrtle cried as she floated over to the girl. "Oh, I'm so glad to see you! I heard about what happened and- Oh! Thank Merlin that you're alright!"

"Myrtle, although I appreciate you're worrying about me, I need to know if you've seen my friends at all."

"You mean Harry and that redheaded boy?" Anya nodded her head. "Actually yes. They came by a few hours ago."

"What did they say?" Anya asked.

"Harry asked me about how I died. Isn't he wonderful?" Myrtle replied with a dreamy sigh.

"To which you said..." Every second that Myrtle wasted was another second lost to help save Hogwarts and Ginny.

"That it had happened in my cubicle.

"I had been hiding because Olive Hornby was teasing me about my glasses. And while I was crying, I heard someone come in. They had been talking funny- some sort of made up language- and I recognized the voice to be a boy's. So I opened my door to tell him to go away... and then I died," Myrtle said.

"And did you see something? Like eyes?" Anya asked.

Myrtle seemed shocked. "Well... yes- a pair of great big yellow ones. How did you know?"

"'Cause that's what I saw before I was petrified! The thing that killed you was a basilisk, a really big-ass snake that kills with its eyes and venomous bite." Anya moved to the center of the room. "Can you tell me exactly where you saw the basilisk?"

"Over by the sinks," Myrtle replied. Harry looked over there and said something about it being the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets. Then he spoke in that funny language I told you about and it opened up."

"Opened up how?" Anya asked.

"It opened to show this really big hole. Then he, Ron and some blonde wizard jumped down into it."

Anya looked up at the ghost. "'Blonde wizard'? Did he have really elaborate robes on? Really goofy face?" Myrtle nodded her head and Ana shrugged. "One can only hope that Lockhart wold die down there. Now Myrtle, this is really important. I need to know where Professor Dumbledore's office is. Do you know where it is?"

"Yes! Follow me!" And with that, Myrtle flew through the door, and Anya followed. She followed the ghost girl up to the third floor and down the hall, where a gargoyle statue stood. "Here it is. Unfortunately, I don't know what the password is."

"That's alright Myrtle. You've already done more than enough. Thank you." Anya gave her a beaming smile as she watched Myrtle drift off back to her bathroom. Then she turned to stare at the gargoyle. "Ok, password... password... What would Professor Dumbledore use as a password?"

"I often use the name of a sweet, whether it is a muggle or wizarding confection." Anya jumped almost a foot into the air before turning back to see the headmaster standing directly behind her.

"Professor Dumbledore!" Anya's hand came up to press against her chest. Her heart was beating as fast as a Brazilian drum. "How- I mean, what- Why-"

"Perhaps we should take this into a more comfortable location." The headmaster's blue eyes twinkled with amusement. "I fear that this conversation may take a while." He turned to the gargoyle. "Chocolate frogs." The gargoyle sprang to life and jumped to the side, the wall behind it parting to reveal a circular, moving staircase. Anya simply stayed silent as she followed Professor Dumbledore up the stairs.

,:~:,

"...and then that's how I found out that it was really Tom Riddle that had been behind the attacks fifty years ago!" Anya finally finished after some time. She had just been explaining how she and her friends had been trying to find out who was behind these attacks. "Tom Riddle was Voldemort as a kid!"

"And then how do you suspect that he is behind the attacks this time?" Dumbledore asked.

"I'm positive that it has to do with that stupid diary!" Anya huffed, crossing her arms and she leaned back in her chair. "Ever since that thing came into our lives, it has been nothing but trouble!"

Just then, the door swung open and Anya turned in her seat to see two people she had been worrying about. "Harry! Ron!" She jumped off the chair, knocking it down in the process, and ran over to the boys and hugged the daylights out of them, ignoring the slime and muck- and in Harry's case, blood. "You're ok!"

"Yeah. And boy, are we glad to see you Anya," Harry replied as they pulled back. Anya smiled at him before turning to Ron.

"Is Ginny..." Anya couldn't bring herself to say anything. Ginny was like a little sister to her.

"She's alright," Ron replied and the tension in the air vanished. "A little shaken up, but she'll be fine."

"Thank God," Anya breathed. Then she noticed the things that Harry was holding: a glittereing silver sword with bright red rubies in the handle and covered with blood, the ratty old sorting hat, and Tom Riddle's diary which had a large fang piercing through the cover. "What the hell happened down there Harry?"

So Anya sat back and listened as Harry and Ron explained what happened down in the chamber: how Lockhart had tried to run away when he was told he was to go and find Ginny, how he got hit by a backfired memory charm and no longer even knew his own name, and how Harry had ended the basilisk once and for all.

"So it was Volde- I mean, Tom?" Anya asked as they finished, quickly changing questions when she saw Ron cringe from the name. _'His sister was almost killed down there. The last thing he needs is to hear Voldemort's name.'_

"Yeah it was," Harry replied.

"Well as you both know," Dumbledore began, a passive look on his face as he stared at the boys. "In the past few hours, you have broken what could be at least a dozen school rules! That alone would be reason to have you both expelled!" Anya saw the look of terror on her friends' faces and she couldn't blame them. But then she saw the amusement in the elderly wizard's eyes.

"Therefore, it is only fitting that you both receive... Special Awards for Services to the School." Then the headmaster held up a rolled parchement. "And now, if you could deliver these papers to Azkaban. I do believe that we want our gamekeeper back."

"Wait a second! Why is Hagrid in Azkaban prison?" Anya asked, though she was sure that she already knew the answer.

"They thought that Hagrid was the culprit again so they took him into custody," Ron explained before he left.

"Professor? I was wondering about something- something that connected me with Tom Riddle," Harry began, only to stop when he was unsure of where to go with this.

"I see..." The headmaster turned to Anya. "Ms. Collins, might you kindly step outside for a moment please?"

"No!" Harry exclaimed, reaching out to Anya. "Please Anya... you're the only one that was behind me a hundred percent. I would really like for you to stay." Anya just couldn't resist the puppy eyes Harry sent her. She nodded.

"Very well then... and as for your question, I believe that it has something to do with you both being able to speak Parseltongue, is it not?" Professor Dumbledore waited until Harry nodded. "I believe that it is most likely that Voldemort transfered some of his powers to you the night he gave you that scar."

"So you mean to say that you think there's a part of Voldemort inside of Harry?" Anya asked. "Talk about creepy."

"So the sorting hat was right last year. I should be in Slytherin," Harry stated.

"But then why did it sort you into Gryffindor?" Dumbledore asked. He looked over at Anya who seemed anxious to say something. "Ms. Collins? Your opinion?"

Anya smiled. "Thank you, Professor." She turned to her friend. "Harry... you remember me telling you what I thought that day after Mrs. Norris was petrified?" He nodded. "Well, that's exactly why you're no Slytherin- you'd jump in front of a bullet before you'd let someone hurt the people you care about. Slytherins think of themselves and _only _themselves. And let's not forget something else."

"What's that?" Harry asked.

"You _asked_ to be in Gryffindor. You said that the sorting hat had told you that you would acheive greatness if you went into Slytherin, but you chose to be a Gryffindor. And _that_ is what makes you so different from Tom Riddle or Voldemort or whatever friggin' name he had."

And then Dumbledore showed Harry the name engraved into the blade of the sword he had used to kill the basilisk. Just above the handle, glittering through the bloodstains were the words 'Godric Gryffindor' running down the length of the pure silver.

"It takes a true Gryffindor to pull that out of the hat." The old man's eyes twinkled like stars. Anya smiled as she hugged her friend.

Suddenly, the door slammed open behind them and Anya and Harry turned to see Mr. Malfoy standing there, dressed in his usual black robes. And standing beside him, cowering in fear, was a house-elf.

"Dobby!" Harry exclaimed. "So this is your master? The family you serve is the Malfoys?" The house-elf made a small noise in the back of his throat as he looked up at his master who was glaring down at him.

"I'll deal with you later," Lucius Malfoy sneered down at the house-elf. He then walked up to the desk, pushing his way past the two students. "So... you've returned."

"When the board of education learnt that Arthur Weasley's daughter had been taken, they had it that I were to return. Curiously... several of them were under the impression that you would curse their families if they hadn't ruled to expel me in the first place." Anya was shocked. She knew the Malfoys were less than honorable, but she never thought that they would go as far as to ban the best headmaster Hogwarts ever had.

Anya became even more curious when she saw Malfoy's face after he was shown the remains of Tom Riddle's diary. He looked almost afraid, as though the damaged book would come to life and eat him.

"Let us hope that Mr. Potter will always be around to save the day," Lucius said, the sneer completely out in the open.

"Don't worry. I will be," Harry replied, the loathing clear in his voice as well.

The older blonde wizard turned to Anya. "And I am glad to see that you are well, Ms. Collins." With that, Lucius Malfoy ordered Dobby to follow and Anya watched with sadness as the poor house-elf was abused.

Harry turned back to the headmaster. "Professor? I was wondering if I could have that?" He motioned to the ruined diary. The old man nodded and handed the book over. Both students nodded and turned to race after the older Malfoy and Dobby.

"Quick! Take off a sock Harry!" Anya hissed as they waited for the staircase to come back, tugging her shoe off to peel her rainbow sock from her foot. When Harry did the same, she grabbed the diary and placed both socks in the center, snapping it shut.

"Mr. Malfoy!" Anya shouted after the wizard who was at the opposite end of the hall. "Mr. Malfoy, wait a second!" She shoved the book into his hands when they were close enough. "This is yours."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh we think you do, sir," Harry spoke up. "We think that you slipped the diary into Ginny Weasley's cauldron, that day at Diagon Alley."

"Why don't you prove it?" Lucius hissed at Harry, barely paying any attention to Anya. He handed the book to Dobby. "Come Dobby!" he ordered before continuing to walk away.

"Open it," Harry whispered and Anya watched as tears formed in the house-elf's eyes when he found the socks. He was free.

Of course, that didn't go over very well with Lucius Malfoy. In fact, he even went as far as to hex Harry, but Dobby used his magic and sent the wizard flying backwards. He sent a few threats in Harry's direction after that before limping away.

"Harry Potter freed Dobby!" the house-elf exclaimed. "How can Dobby ever repay him?"

"Never try and save my life again," Harry joked, earning a smile from Dobby.

"Hello Dobby," Anya greeted him, getting down on her knees so she was at eye-level with the house-elf. "My name's Anya. It's nice to meet you." _'Even though you've tried to get my friends expelled and/or killed.'_ "You know... I think this weather's a little cold for a summer outfit." She shrugged off her sweater and drapped it over Dobby's little shoulders; it nearly swallowed him whole over the ratty-old pillow case he wore. "Hmm... that color suits you." The navy blue did bring out the green in his eyes.

"Thank you, Miss!" he beamed before hugging the two students. And then with the sound of a whip cracking, he vanished.

,:~:,

That evening was a blur of activities. But Anya thought the best thing of the night wasn't when the students were told that the finals were canceled or when Gryffindor won the House Cup, or even when it was announced that Gilderoy Lockhart wouldn't return to be Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher.

The best thing was when Hagrid arrived back in the castle. He said that he was late because of 'some ruddy bird called Errol.' And when Hermione came running into the Great Hall, congratulating the boys on a job well done. Friends were reunited once again.

"Well... another year gone, another disaster avoided," Anya sighed as she watched the scenery fly by. In another hour or so, the train would arrive at the platform and Anya would be heading back to the States. The year had gone by so quickly because of fear and trying to find the truth.

"Do you suppose we'll ever have a quiet year at Hogwarts?" Ron asked, only to gain snorts of laughter from the others. They continued to joke and laugh, play games of Exploding Snap and just practise magic before they arrived at the platform in King's Cross station.

"Oh, by the way- thanks for the flowers you guys," Anya said as they waited to go through the gate back to the muggle station. When she had returned to the hospital wing under Dumbledore's orders for a check-up, she noticed two small vases sitting on her bedside table. One held a bouquet of white and yellow daisies and the other held white gardenias. "How did you know I love gardenias anyway?"

"What do you mean?" Ron asked.

"Yeah Anya, we didn't leave any gardenias. Those were already there yesterday when we went to go see you and Hermione," Harry added. "We left her some daisies too."

That left Anya puzzled. If her friends hadn't left them, then that must mean... the thought vanished from Anya's mind as they pushed through the wall.

"Bye you guys!" Anya shouted as she waved goodbye to her friends. "See you soon!"

"Anya! Sweetie!" Anya cringed at the terrified tone she heard in her mother's voice, even over the sounds of the busy train station. "Oh, my baby!"

"This is going to be a _long_ summer," Anya muttered.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AC: Oh boy! Something tells me that this summer is going to be like hell!<strong>_

_**MMM: *mutters to self* She thinks it's bad now. Wait 'til the next summer!**_

_**AC: What was that?**_

_**MMM: Nothing! *runs away from Anya's hexes*  
><strong>_

_**DM: Well, that's it for this week. Hope you all enjoyed it.**_

_**AC: *pops back into scene* What are you doing?**_

_**DM: Well, Nancy isn't here, so I'm saying the final farewell for the chapter.**_

_**AC: Why should you do it?**_

_**DM: Because it's my story!**_

_**AC: No it isn't! This is **_**my_ story! After all, it's all from my point of view!_**

**_MMM: Actually, it's not going to be only your point of view Anya. And besides, it's _MY_ story. I'm the one writing it._**

**_So anyway, T.T.F.N.- ta-ta for now! Don't forget to R&R!_**

**_Nancy (aka megamatchmaker)  
><em>**


	22. Year 3 Ch1

****_**MMM: Hey again! It's me. So I decided to post a second chapter this week. I think I can post an extra since I've got a few to spare. This is the first chapter of year three. And for those who have been waiting patiently, I promise you that there will be more scenes involving Draco Malfoy.**_

_**AC: *sarcastically* Yippee...**_

_**DM: You know, you should at least**_** try_ to pretend to like me. After all, this is a love story._**

**_AC: Until Nancy tells me that the 'love' part of this story actually comes around, I think I'll keep disliking you. Much easier._**

**_MMM: Oh, I give up! These two are impossible! *shouts over shoulder as she leaves* Don't own Harry Potter!_**

**_DM: Do you think she's gone?_**

**_AC: *smiles* Yeah. *kisses Draco*_**

* * *

><p><strong>Ch. 22 New Neighbors<strong>

"Mom, don't you think that this is over doing it a bit much?" Anya Collins asked her mother who was offering to buy her yet another new outfit. Not that the recently turned thirteen-year-old wouldn't mind another fabulous pair of jeans and stylish top, but at the rate her mother was going, the family would have to sell their bakery to pay for the clothes.

Now Anya knew that her mother would not be acting like the sky was falling if it weren't for what happened last year at school. Hogwarts, the school for young witches and wizards, had been plagued by an array of strange attacks causing some of the students who like Anya, were born into non-magical families, to be petrified. And Anya, along with her good friend Hermione Granger, had both been victims of these attacks.

Hogwarts would have been closed forever, if it hadn't been for their good friends, Ron Weasley and Harry Potter. These two boys had risked life and limb to put a stop to the culprit, battling a monstrous creature and once again defeating an evil wizard.

To say that Nicole had been worried when she had heard of her daughter's condition would have been an understatement. She spent almost every day treating her like fine china, walking on eggshells to avoid any conversation about what had happened.

"I know sweetheart, but I just-" Nicole cut herself off.

"Come on Mom! I'm not made of glass or anything. Saying that I was petrified by a sixty-foot snake isn't that hard you know." Anya rolled her eyes as she strapped on the elbow and knee pads. "I'm going out for a bit." She grabbed her helmet and skateboard and without a glance back, she walked out of the house.

Anya knew that she shouldn't have snapped at her mother like that. Hell- even she herself was still shaken up by it; most nights she would wake up after having a nightmare about the basilisk. But life goes on and Anya was not going to live hers in fear. Besides, she went to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and was friends with Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived. To say that life would be normal was a far cry from the truth.

When Anya came back from the skate park down the street an hour later, she saw a moving truck driving away from the house next door. "Hey Mom, I'm home!" she shouted as she walked through the living room and into the kitchen, the wonderful aroma of chocolatey-confections reaching her nose. When she rounded the corner, she saw her mother sitting at the table... along wtih two other people.

She could tell that they were mother and daughter due to the fact that they both had the exact same shade of seafoam-green eyes. But the daughter had perfectly straight midnight black hair that reached to the small of her back while her mother's hair was light brown and cut very short. Both were very beautiful.

"Hey there, sweet-pea!" Nicole greeted her daughter as she placed a serving tray with fresh chocolate chip cookies onto the table. "Honey, I'd like you to meet our new neighbors. This is Holly Smith and her daughter, Violet. Ladies, this is my daughter Anya."

"Hi," Anya smiled. The girl- Violet- looked like a female version of her good friend Harry. They could have been twins.

"Hello," Violet smiled back, a light Irish accent present in her voice. "It's very nice to meet you."

"Why don't you girls go upstairs and talk for a while? I'm sure there are plenty of things for you to discuss," Mrs. Smith suggested.

"Alright. Let's go!" Anya lead the way and when she opened the door to her bedroom, she nearly had a fit.

She wasn't sure how it happened, but Starshine, her golden masked owl, somehow escaped from his cage and completely wrecked the room. Books had been shoved off the desk to the floor, papers scattered every which way, and even some of Anya's school clothes had been totaled. The bird in question had already escaped through the open window for his morning flight.

"Oh my gosh, I'm _so_ sorry about this," Anya apologized as she began to gather papers. "Honestly, my room's _never_ this messy. It seems my bird decided to ramsack the place."

"It's alright," Violet replied as she began to help Anya pick things up. "My dog Altheda does the same thing at least three time a week. It's not a problem." When they both stood up, Anya noticed that the top of the other girl's head barely reached her chin. Although Anya had had a bit of a growth spurt, she was still only about five foot four.

"So is that the school you go to?" Violet asked, pointing to the poster-sized photo of Hogwarts.

It took Anya a couple of seconds to bring herself back to the present. "Uh... yeah. It's kind of like a boarding school... It's sort of stuck back in medieval times. But don't get me wrong, I love it there."

"I heard that Hogwarts is beautiful, but I never thought it was _that_ wonderful," Violet commented.

"Yeah it sure is. Wait- what?" Anya turned from the photo to the girl beside her. _'How did she know about Hogwarts?'_

"You don't have to hide things from me, you know." The dark-haired beauty smiled, revealing a small dimple in the left corner of her mouth. "I'm a witch too."

,:~:,

The rest of the summer break went as smooth as silk after that. Violet, who was better known as Vi, had easily gotten along with the Holt twins and so the four girls where often found together each day. She even got along with Hermione who Anya talked to daily with her video chatline. And when Lucy Heller came by for her usual taunting, Vi practically chased her down the street threatening to beat her to a pulp.

Vi's mother turned out to be a witch who worked as part of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and had married to a muggle lawyer. Of course, Mr. Liam Smith had been a little surprised when he first learnt of his wife's abilities, but he loved her none the less and was ecstatic when he heard that his baby girl followed in her mother's footsteps.

And when he was told by his boss that the firm was transfering him to New York, he made sure to apply Vi into the best wizarding school they could afford, which of course, turned out to be Hogwarts.

"I can hardly wait 'til school starts up!" Vi giggled as she and Anya waited in line for the movies. "It'll be so much fun!"

"I wouldn't be so sure," Anya muttered. Unless Vi thought that battling evil wizards, animals the size of monster trucks, and breaking rules in order to help keep the school open was fun, then she was sure that she wasn't going to fully enjoy Hogwarts. Anya could only imagine what was going to happen this year. Vi just gave her an odd look but shrugged it off.

After two hours of romantic fluff and comedy, the girls headed back to the Collins' household for a game or two of Battleship. Halfway through sinking Anya's final ship, Starshine came fluttering into the room with the mail.

"Hey there boy," Vi cooed to the owl as he landed beside them on the bed, stroking his feathered head while his master scanned the letters.

"Hermione... Ron... junk... junk... and- Oh look! Junk." Anya made a face at some of the advertisement papers she received. "Who in their right minds would _want_ a warts transplant? Ugh!"

"Actually, in some witch cultures, warts are supposedly meant to represent beauty," Vi commented. "The more warts that a witch has means the more beautiful she is."

"I personally don't care what anyone says; I'd pay to have warts_ removed_, not planted on my nose." Both girls laughed and Anya unrolled the copy of the Daily Prophet she just received.

Right on the front page were the words 'Prisoner Escapes from Azkaban' in big black letters. Underneath was the moving picture of a man with greasy long black hair and grey eyes. The man in the picture seemed to be crazed, pushing against the hands of faceless guards while he struggled to get away from something.

"Oi! I've heard of him. That's Sirius Black!" Vi exclaimed. "He's a mass murderer!"

"That's crazy," Anya said though she didn't sound very convinced with herself.

"I also heard that he had been a big supporter of You-Know-Who." This caught Anya's attention. Judging by the picture, Sirius Black looked to be in his mid-thirties so that would have put him in his early twenties when he had joined Voldemort. Anya guessed that this man had once been very handsome and she knew that most people usually wanted power along with good looks and Voldemort had been close to nearly destroying both wizarding and muggle worlds.

"So what happened then?" Anya asked.

"Well, I'm not really sure on the details- Mum only told me little bits and pieces. But I remember her saying something about how he got cornered one night and killed twelve people with just one spell fired! When the Ministry finally caught him, he was so bloody insane that they had to take him away in a straight jacket.

"But I think that the real thing that everyone's talking about now is about how he escaped. Azkaban is the most secured prison located on an island in the middle of nowhere and under constant guard by dementors. I heard that most of the prisoners go mad within a week," Vi finished, causing a shiver to shoot up Anya's spine.

Dementors- soulless creatures with long black robes and decaying bodies. Their very presence can be dangerous for they feed on the positive emotions of human beings; depriving them of their happy memories and leaving them with the worse experiences of their lives. The only thing worse than that is the Dementor's Kiss which was the stealing of a person's soul, a punishment reserved for the worst of criminals.

"That's really creepy," Anya shivered while she continued to watch the crazed face of Sirius Black. She looked into his eyes and found them to be bottomless; void of all emotions except for rage.

,:~:,

"So what exactly should I expect when we go to Diagon Alley?" Vi asked as she buttoned up her cloak. She and Anya along with both their moms had decided to all go to Diagon Alley together seeing as Liam and Rick were too busy with work.

"Nothing really special... it's pretty much your average little street of shops designed for witches and wizards of all ages and hidden from the muggle eye right behind the wall of a pub. Pretty normal stuff," Anya shrugged with a grin.

"I find it so funny how muggles are always so clueless about magic. A wizard can perform it right under their nose and they'd think it was just some sort of parlor trick," Vi giggled and Anya was right behind her with a small snort of laughter.

"Violet, Anya." Both teen witches turned to see their mothers walk into the living room. Mrs. Smith shook the jar of Floo Powder in her hand. "We found it. Now let's get going, shall we?" Both girls nodded and grabbed a pinch of the powder. Then with a shout of address, they walked through the green flames in the fireplace.

"Oh, hello young Anya," Tom, keeper of the Leaky Cauldron, greeted the auburn-haired girl as she stepped out of the fireplace. "Come for another of my hot chocolates, have you?"

"Yes please," Anya smiled as she and Vi grabbed a seat at a table, their mothers following them as they came out of the fireplace too. "Tom, these are my new neighbors, Mrs. Holly Smith and Violet, and you remember my mom of course."

"Yes I do. It's very nice to see you again Nicole. And it's a pleasure to meet you lovely ladies," Tom replied with a playful wink as he brought four mugs of hot chocolate. "How about some breakfast? Most of the shops aren't open yet."

"That sounds wonderful Tom. Thank you," Nicole thanked him and a few minutes later, he returned with hot plates of scrambled eggs, crisp bacon, and buttered toast.

"Maple syrup on eggs? Are you serious?" Vi asked as she watched Anya smother her plate with the golden liquid.

"Yeah I'm serious. It tastes like something from a sugar shack," Anya replied.

"It is really good," a voice said from behind them and Anya was out of her chair and rushing to the dark haired boy before anyone could blink.

"Harry! It's good to see you!" Anya cheered as she hugged the daylights out of him. Then she pulled back with a curious look on her face. "Wait a sec- why are you here? Not that I'm not happy to see you again, but it seems a little early for you to come for your school supplies."

"It's a long story," Harry replied. "Nice to see you again, Mrs. Collins."

"It's nice to see you too Harry. Would you like to join us for breakfast?"

"Yes, thank you." When Harry sat down, he saw an obviously excited girl sitting across from him. "Umm... hi." And Vi pounced.

"You're Harry Potter, aren't you? Is it true about how you defeated You-Know-Who twice? Do you really have a scar like a lightning bolt? Did you really become a seeker when you were only eleven? Did you-"

"Vi!" Anya nearly shouted, quickly gaining the attention of her friend along with half of the pub. "I've got one word for you- relax."

The dark haired girl ducked her head as a furious blush colored her face. "Sorry," she mumbled.

Harry just laughed. "It's alright. I get that a lot anyway. You're not the first and I doubt you'll be the last."

After Tom returned with another plate and mug for Harry, the young wizard began his tale; how the horrid sister of his Uncle Vernon had come to the house for the summer break and how she would take every opportunity to torment Harry. Marge eventually went too far when she insulted Harry's departed parents and he snapped, unconciously using magic to blow the woman up and causing her to float away.

"That bitch!" Vi said as the three teenagers waited by the passageway. "If it were up to me, I would have just left her like that. The bloated cow!"

"Honestly, Harry's just lucky he wasn't arrested or expelled. Under-age magic is a big offense to the Ministry. I wonder why Cornelius Fudge let it slide like that," Anya commented.

"That's the thing; I think it has something to do about Sirius Black," Harry replied.

"The escaped criminal?" Anya asked. Harry nodded his head. "What does that have to do with you? Do you think he's after you or something?" Again, Harry nodded. "Well what are we going to do about it?"

"Not sure," Vi replied. Then she reached into her pocket for her list of school supplies. "So where to next?" she asked as an attempt to lighten the mood.

,:~:,

The trip to Flourish and Blotts was as amusing as it was frightening. As it turned out, the new book that Anya needed for Care of Magical Creatures class, _The Monster Book of Monsters_, was a far cry from a simple book. All the copies were being kept inside of a cage and were clamped close with a special belt.

"How exactly are we excepted to use this thing?" Anya asked, the book quivering from inside the bag she was carrying. More than once, Anya thought that it would escape from its bindings, rip through the paper bag, and start gnashing at her leg.

"Don't look at me!" Vi held her hands up in surrender. "I'm not even taking the class; other than dogs and owls, I'm not much of an animal person. I'm more of a plants-kind of girl."

"Hmm... that's interesting. So Anya, have you heard from Ron yet?" Harry asked.

"Nope. Didn't you see the Daily Prophet? Mr. Weasley won a contest over the summer- the entire family is over in Egypt."

And just as they stepped back into the Leaky Cauldron, Anya barely had time to duck to the side as a rat went scurrying back, followed closely by a large ginger cat. As they walked closer to the main dining area, voices grew.

"I'm warning you Hermione- keep that bloody beast away from Scabbers, or I'll turn it into a tea cosy!" a boy shouted.

"It's a cat, Ronald. What do you expect? It's in his nature!" the cries of said brunette replied. Anya stayed hidden around the corner with Harry and peered around the corner to see the other two members to the Golden Quartet bickering at each other, each holding their pet in their arms.

"A cat? Is that what they told you? Looks more like a pig with hair if you ask me," Ron said.

"That's rich coming from the owner of that smelly old shoebrush!" Anya laughed quietly at the sharp comeback from Hermione. "It's alright Crookshanks. Just ignore the mean little boy." That was her que.

"Boy- yes. Mean- occasionally. Little- not at all," Anya joked as she came out of her hiding space. "Ron is still the tallest kid our age." She looked up at the ceiling, pretending to talk to the redhead. "Hey Ron! How's the altitude up there?" she mocked-shouted.

"Very funny Anya," Ron mumbled as his ears slowly turned bright pink, but the smile on his face showed he wasn't offended. "Good to see you," he said, pulling her into a hug.

"Right back at ya," Anya smiled as she returned the hug. Then she turned to Hermione. "Looking good, Mione!"

"Thanks," the brunette replied sheepishly. Her hair seemed straighter than it use to and Anya could make out the subtle difference of color on her eyes and lips, indicating that she was wearing make-up. "Have a nice summer?"

"So far, yeah." Anya walked back to take Vi by the arm and bring her closer to the group. "I'd like to introduce my new neighbor and friend, Violet Smith."

By the end of the day, Vi had gotten along great with the Golden Quartet.

* * *

><p><em><strong>MMM: Well, that's it for this week... for real. And as for my new character, she is based off of my wonderful beta reader, Drkness'sDaughter. Again, thank you Vi!<br>**_

_**Please read and review!**_

_**Nancy (aka megamatchmaker)  
><strong>_


	23. Year 3 Ch2

**_MMM: Well, here we are again! Chapter 23 (year 3 ch.2) is here. I hope you guys like it._**

******_AC: And thanks to everyone who reviewed the story! You guys are so sweet and totally awesome._**

**_VS: I just want to know when my good friend Anya and Draco are finally going to hook up._**

**_MMM: Vi! Please be patient. These things can't be rushed, you know._**

**_VS: This has been going on for two years already! The readers didn't start reading this just for you to beat around the bush with the romance. So get to it!_**

**_MMM: And I will! Soon... Jeez! Irish- so hot-tempered.  
><em>**

**_VS: I heard that!_**

**_MMM: Uh-huh. Anyway, as usual, I do not own the Harry Potter world or anything related to it._**

* * *

><p><strong>Ch. 23 Warm Welcoming... Not!<strong>

The last few days of summer break passed by in a flash and before anyone knew it, they were already boarding the Hogwarts Express on the first of September. When Anya and the other finally found a free compartment for the five of them, they were nearly at the very end of the train and it had long left the platform.

"Man, is it just me or is this train seriously packed?" Anya gave a quiet huff while she struggled to load her trunk up onto the area above the seats. She was careful not to wake the man that was sleeping against the window. Above his head was a well worn suitcase that had the name 'R. J. Lupin' printed in faded yellow letters. From what Anya could see, his light brown hair was flecked with spots of gray and she could make out the ragged lines of three scars along his pale face.

"Sure is. Can you believe that we're already third year students?" Hermione was bouncing in her seat with glee.

"Yeah. I can hardly wait; now we can go on the Hogsmeade village trips," Ron added. When he said this, Anya noticed Harry become a little depressed.

"What's up Harry? You seem down," she commented.

"I never got my form signed. Uncle Vernon said he'd sign it if I 'behaved' while Aunt Marge was at Privet Drive, but he never did before I blew her up."

"You make it sound as though you lit a stick of dynamite under her or something," Vi joked, causing the others to laugh.

"Why don't you just ask McGonagall to sign it when we get to Hogwarts?" Anya suggested. Harry thought about it for a moment and eventually nodded his head. After all, what was the harm in asking?

"Hey Vi, I forgot to ask- do you know what house you'll be in?" Anya turned to her Irish friend.

"Apparently I'm going to be in Hufflepuff," was her reply.

"Aw, nuts! Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs rarely have classes together."

"Well it could be worse." Four heads turned to look at Ron. "She could have been sorted into Slytherin and then things would have been _really _difficult!"

"How so?" Vi asked.

Hermione, as always, was the first to reply. "Slytherins and Gryffindors have been rivals for many years- ever since Hogwarts was founded, actually. If you had been sorted into Slytherin, people would have looked down at your friendship."

"So what?" Anya huffed. "If Vi was in Slytherin, that wouldn't chance my friendship with her and if people had a problem with it, then they could kiss my royal, American ass!" Anya's voice rose with each word until she was almost shouting. Everyone stayed perfectly still and quiet as Mr. Lupin turned over and fell into a deeper sleep.

"That was close," Ron whispered as everyone relaxed.

"You're telling me," Anya replied before she stood up. "Listen you guys, I'm gonna go try and see if I can scare up something to eat. You want anything?"

,:~:,

After getting the entire order- which she had to write down for her to remember- and the money to pay for it all, Anya carefully slip out of the compartment and began her journey to the opposite end of the train. But when she finally found the nice old witch that pushed the trolley around, she was also greeted with a sight she didn't want to see.

Standing there in a complete black suit was none other than Draco Malfoy, Slytherin Prince and biggest pain in the ass Anya ever met- he even made Lucy Heller, her rival back home in New York, look like nothing. His platnium blonde hair which was usually slicked back now hung everywhere, but it suited him. Made him look more handsome-

_'What the hell am I thinking about?'_ Anya mentally scolded herself. _'I'm putting the words "Malfoy" and "handsome" in the same sentence? I must be going insane or something!'_

"Hey there Collins." Anya looked up at the Malfoy heir to see that he was smiling at her- not his usual sneer but an actual smile. "You look nice today."

"Yeah right," Anya rolled her eyes. Being dressed in simple jeans and grey t-shirt with a dark purple vest over it was hardly her idea of looking nice. "Whatever."

"Anything for you dear?" the older witch asked Anya who began to recite the list in her hand. It wasn't as terrible as people would think- Ron normally would want to order enough food that could feed an army- but the items were large enough that Anya needed a bag to carry it all back. But when she went to go and pay for everything, a pale hand stopped her from reaching for her carry-on.

"I'll take care of it," Malfoy said, still holding Anya's hand while he reached his other hand into his pocket and fished out the money for it. When the woman left, Anya snapped out her stupor and yanked her hand away from him.

"What the hell was that?" she hissed at the blonde, her face flushed with what she hoped was just fury. The second his skin touched her, she felt tiny sparks shoot through her nerves. "Are you trying to make me feel like a loser or something?" She didn't wait for him to reply.

"'Oh, look at me- I'm Draco Malfoy. I'm a pureblood wizard with more money than I could ever use. I think I'll _help_ those Mudbloods that aren't as fortunate as me and make them feel like shit at the same time,'" Anya pretended to act like the blonde Slytherin before her. If Crabbe and Goyle had been there, she probably wouldn't have insulted him like that, but they weren't and she was taking advantage of that.

Malfoy just looked down at his shoes as he shuffled from one foot to the other and Anya felt her anger vanish. _'Since when does a Malfoy ever feel bad?'_ His eyes came back up and silver met purple.

"Anya-"

But Anya didn't have any time to be shocked that he had just called her by her first name. Because at that very moment, the train came to a sudden halt. The train jerked so violently that Anya lost her footing and was tossed forwards, the bag of sweets falling from her grasp. And just before Anya's face made an unpleasant greeting with the ground, a pair of arms reached out and wrapped around her protectively, twisting around so that the other person took the impact of the fall. When she sat up, she saw Malfoy sprawled out underneath her.

"Are you alright?" he asked her. She could only nod: being that close to him, she could smell the light aroma of cologne, hair gel, and something sweet that she couldn't quite place. It was intoxicating. Then she gasped as he stood up with her still in his arms, setting her gently onto her feet.

And then everything became cold. The temperature on the train had dropped drastically, frost began to form on the windows and Anya could see her own breath. She shivered and tried to rub at her arms to keep herself warm. The short sleeves of her shirt did nothing to protect her skin from the bitting cold.

"Here," Anya heard Malfoy say and the ruffling of fabrics before she was enveloped in warmth. She looked at her shoulders to see that he had drapped his jacket over her.

"T-thanks," she stuttered, bringing the warmth around her closer. But he didn't seem to be listening. Instead, he was staring down the train. Anya looked and she saw what had placed the horrified look on the Malfoy heir's face.

It was almost ten feet tall, dressed in dark cloth that was ripped and sort of fluttered around it as if on invisible mists. The very presense of it was unnerving. It was a dementor.

That's when it hit Anya. Her vision seemed to leave her for she couldn't see the creature anymore, but instead she was seeing something else... something as equally terrifying. It was of monstrous size, with dark green scales and yellow eyes. She could even hear it hissing in her head.

Anya's hands let go of the jacket over her shoulders and came to clamp down on her ears. "Shut it up! Make it go away! Please!" she cried in fear, not even feeling the arms wrapping around her. But no matter how hard she cried, the image of the basilisk was still there. Only now she could still sense everything as her body became rigid as it was petrified. She watched as the deadly snake poised to make its final strike. Anya let out a terrified scream when the fangs came closer before everything went black.

,:~:,

The first thing that Anya felt was the cold surface of the ground pressing into her lower back. Then she felt someone brushing their fingers through her hair. She then remembered seeing the dementor and she shot up with fear.

"Anya! Anya, it's alright!" Hermione said soothingly. Anya stopped looking around for the decaying form and finally relaxed. That was when she realized that she was back in the compartment with the others.

"Here, eat this," a hand came out and handed her a piece of chocolate. Anya accepted it and looked up to see Mr. Lupin smiling down at her. "It will help make you feel better. Go on," he smiled. Anya took a bite of the chocolate and she felt the remaining cold leave her system. She smiled her thanks before the smile fell once again.

"How did I get back here? The last thing I remember was-" Anya stopped herself short. With her friends all around her, she wasn't going to let it slip that she had run into Malfoy, whether he was being nice or not was irrelevant.

"Fred and George," Hermione explained. "They said that they found you near the front of the train and they carried you back here."

"Oh..." It was then that Anya saw Harry seemed to look the way she felt, pale and shaken up. "Harry? Are you ok?"

"Yeah... I'm alright," he replied. "Just a little dizzy."

"He fainted," Ron whispered into Anya's ear. "A dementor came into our compartment and he just went rigid. We thought he was having a fit or something."

"I felt the same," Anya stated. "After I got the things from the trolley, I was heading back when I saw the dementor too. It was so cold and then I saw... well, I saw something I wouldn't like to see again."

"The basilisk?" Hermione asked. Anya nodded her head. "Same here."

But it seemed that it was more than that for Harry. Apparently, just before he passed out, Harry had heard someone scream his name. He said that it had been a woman's voice but when he asked Hermione, she said that she hadn't yelled. Anya had a hunch on who it was, but decided against saying anything. Today had been difficult enough for them all.

The rest of the train ride was quiet as was the carriage ride to the castle from the station. The only thing that happened was the boys leaving to go change into their robes so the girls could use the compartment to do the same while Lupin went to have a word with the driver. The sky was pitch black and rain pelted the roof of the black carriage. And the entire time, Anya could only think about a certain blonde wizard.

,:~:,

The castle was so warm inside and comfortable when Anya and the others walked into the Great Hall. Luckily, the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff tables were side by side and Vi had found an empty spot across from the Golden Quartet. They kept discussing things throughout the meal.

The meal, of course, was delicious. Anya ate more than her full but since the only thing she had that day was the chocolate she received from Mr. Lupin- who turned out to be the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor- and she was very hungry.

Another pleasant surprise was when it was announced that Hagrid would be the new professor for Care of Magical Creatures class. The entire hall errupted in cheers but none were louder than the ones that came from the Golden Quartet. The four Gryffindor students knew just how much Hagrid loved animals.

But the happiness soon vanished after Professor Dumbledore's speech. As it turned out, the dementors on the train had been more than just a mere coincidence. As long as Sirius Black was on the loose, the Ministry of Magic was going to have dementors guard all entrances to the grounds of Hogwarts.

"It is not in the nature of a dementor to be forgiving," Dumbledore said. "But you know... happiness can be found even in the most darkest of times. If one only remembers to turn on the light." And with that, he dismissed them. Vi waved goodnight to the Golden Quartet before she followed the rest of the Hufflepuffs to their common room.

"What do you think he meant by that?" Ron asked as the four friends made their way to Gryffindor tower. "About that whole happiness thing, I mean?"

Anya shrugged. "No idea. All I know is that if Dumbledore wants you to know something, he'll only really let you in on it when he wants you to."

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><p><em><strong>AC: Wow... Draco was being nice to me? What is up with that?<strong>_

_**MMM: Well Anya, can you honestly say that his bad attitude was ever directed at you?**_

_**AC: Well... no. I guess not. But it doesn't make it any less creepy!**_

_**MMM: Fair deal. Anyway, that's it for this chapter. Please post a comment! If I get up to 65 before Monday, I'll post an extra chapter this week.  
><strong>_

_**Nancy (aka megamatchmaker)  
><strong>_


	24. Year 3 Ch3

**_MMM: Yay! I've got my 65 reviews and a little bit more! Yippee! Thank you guys! I'm really happy right now! I'm probably going to be this hyper for the next 24 hours now._**

**_AC: I think it's cool. And I have to admit, the idea of this story is actually a bit more interesting than I once thought._**

**_MMM: Well of course it is! You're officially a teenager now. Hormones are going to start kicking in soon and you'll find yourself attracted to certain guys._**

**_AC: Wait a second- 'guys'? You mean there's more than one? I thought this was just a Draco Malfoy/OC story!_**

**_MMM: You don't expect me to make it easy, do you?  
><em>**

**_AC: But you're the writer! Couldn't you have just made it one guy?_**

**_MMM: Now where's the fun in that? That would make it WAY too easy. And besides, people getting their love life right the first shot? As if! I want this story to be somewhat realistic here._**

**_Anyway, as usual I don't own Harry Potter or anything like that. Just Anya and parts of her life._**

* * *

><p><strong>Ch. 24 What next?<strong>

The next morning was warm and sunny. A little too warm in fact. Anya was sitting at the table with Harry and Ron for their divinations class and with the warm temperature, the strong smells of incense were even more powerful and Anya had a massive headache. She could hardly even pay attention to the lesson.

Professor Trelawney- now _that_ was some witch. The woman seemed so spooky with her soft and misty voice and her huge glasses. Every time she moved, the spangles that hung from her shawl, along with the many pieces of jewelry she wore, would jingle like tiny bells or the rattling of chains. A lot of people said that this was one very odd witch, and they were right.

So why did Anya and the boys decide to take the class? Because Fred and George told them that this was one of the easiest classes that could be taken so early in the morning.

"All you have to do is make things up," Fred stated at breakfast. "Say that you see one or two good things happen to you but that's it. The more bad stuff that you predict, the better your grade will be. Trelawney is a sucker for things like that."

"Now today," said professor began. "We will be focusing on the art of tea leaves. So if you would please take a cup from the shelves in the back and then come up for a spot of tea." She gestured to the oversized tea pot that was resting on her desk.

The tea was bitter and it burned Anya's throat as she followed instructions and quickly drank it. Then she sloshed the remaining few drops around and the soggy tea leaves clumped together at the bottom.

"Nice," Anya grimaced as she took her seat again beside the boys. "Now what?"

"I think we're suppose to switch cups and try to read the other's," Harry suggested, looking around at other tables and seeing the students do just that. So Anya passed her cup to Harry, Harry passed his to Ron, and Ron to Anya. They placed Ron's copy of _Unfogging the Future_ in the center of the table and began to try and decipher what they saw.

"Ok, so I see... an acorn? Ok- so that means unexpected wealth," Anya said. "I think that was suppose to represent when your dad won that contest Ron. And I can't make anything else out. It all looks like one big clump of crap."

"Great," he groaned. "My future's already passed me by." He gained a small chuckle out of the other two at the table. "What about you Harry? What do you see?"

"Well... this kind of looks like a sun and that means great happiness. And I definitely see a heart there- but it's broken... that means a difficult love." He turned to Anya. "Sorry Anya. I'm not really good at this."

"Don't worry about it Harry," she replied with a smile. Then she lowered her voice as Professor Trelawney passed by. "I never really believed in this sort of thing anyway. I make my own destiny."

"What a load of rubbish." The three friends jumped when Hermione suddenly appeared. She seemed disheveled; her uniform wasn't sitting quite right and her hair looked like someone had taken a leaf blower to it.

"Hermione! What happened to you?" Anya asked. "And where did you come from?"

"Me? I've been here all this time!" the brunette replied as she tried to smooth down her hair. Anya would have made some remark but decided not to. When Hermione was ready to tell her what was going on, she'd tell her.

Just then, Professor Trelawney came back around their table and poor Ron nearly jumped out of his seat when she turned her big eyes onto him. "You're aura is pulsing dear. Are you in the beyond? I think you are!" She seemed almost giddy.

"Umm... sure!" Ron squeaked. Then he turned to Harry's cup. "Let's see... Harry's got a sort of wonky cross- that's trials and suffering. And that there could be the sun and that happiness. So... you're going to suffer... but you're going to be happy about it." Both girls rolled their eyes.

_ 'Talk about your major contradiction,'_ Anya thought as the professor took the mug from Ron. But she jumped once again when Trelawney shouted out and dropped the cup back onto the table. Anya looked around as saw every pair of eyes in the classroom were looking at her table.

"Oh my dear boy... you have the Grim," Trelawney whispered to Harry. Anya quickly snatched up the book in front of her and she looked through to find what this 'Grim' thing was, though she had a hunch.

And there it was, written in black and white. 'The Grim is the darkest omen on our world. It is the omen of death.' Anya snatched the cup up and peered inside. And sitting at the bottom of Harry's cup was the silhouette of a dog-shaped beast.

,:~:,

"Do you think that Grim stuff has anything to do with Sirius Black?" Ron asked worriedly as they made their way down to their next lesson, Care of Magical Creatures.

"Honestly Ron, divination is a rather wooly subject," Hermione was quick to reply.

"I've got to agree with Hermione on this one Ron," Anya added as she slipped off her outer black robe and tied it around her waist. "Lord knows I'm usually one to try and challenge myself and yet here I am taking a class on tea leaves and crystal balls. Why is that?"

"Because it's easy?" It was more of a question than an answer.

"Yes Harry- it's easy. Because I knew that there was no way I'd be able to keep focus in any other class so early on a Monday morning. If anything, I can just say I was having a premonition if I zonk out in class." She yanked the elastic from her wrist and tied her long auburn hair up into a messy bun.

"Well I have to say that Ancient Runes is a facinating subject," Hermione commented. This caused the other three to stop in their tracks.

"Ancient Runes is the same time as Divination. Hermione, you'd have to be in two places at once," Ron stated. As he said that, Anya noticed something gold around Hermione's neck.

"Guys, we'll meet meet up with you in a minute. I've got to have a little chat with Hermione." And without another word, Anya yanked Hermione away from the group. When they were alone, Anya rounded on her friend.

"A time-turner Hermione? Honestly?" she hissed at the brunette. "Do you even realize what you're doing with that?"

Hermione huffed. "Of course I know what I'm doing. McGonagall explained the rules to me last night and-"

"That's not what I mean and you know it!" Anya cut in. "Even wizards with incredibly important titles know that messing with time is bad news and they maybe use it once or twice in their lifetime. Who knows what'll happen if you use it daily?"

"It's not that bad Anya. I don't see why you're making such a big deal out of it!"

Anya just gave her a look before sighing. "Fine... whatever. If you want to drag yourself into the ground with exhaustion- which you will- then go ahead. I won't stop you. But might I just make I suggestion?" The brunette nodded. "You may want to take better care at hiding that thing. Not everyone in this school is completely clueless."

Hermione blushed before tucking away the small device into her blouse. "I'm sorry I snapped at you."

"Same here. And don't worry- you're secret's safe with me," Anya replied. The girls hugged once before dashing down the stone steps and off to their class.

"That's it, now come closer. Less talkin' if yer don't mind," Hagrid's booming voice could be heard as he called the class to order. Anya was amazed that the half-giant was wearing his thick moleskin suit in this heat; she had to take off her school blouse, baring the plain teal tank top she had on underneath. "I got a real treat fer yeh today. So follow me."

He led them around back to where there seemed to be some sort of animal pen, but no animals. "Now wait around here, yeh lot. And open yer books ter page forty-nine."

"And how exactly are we suppose to do that?" Malfoy's voice sounded over the crowd. Whatever happened when Anya ran into him on the train had obviously worn off because he was back to his usual snarky self. But he did have a point; the _Monster Book of Monsters_ wasn't exactly the ideal book to crack open.

"Just stroke the spine, of course!" Hagrid said as though it were obvious before walking off. "I'll be right back!" Anya looked down at her quivering book and she gently stroked two fingers down the spine. It shivered once before falling silent and sensing no danger, Anya undid the buckle holding it close.

"I think they're funny," Hermione commented about the book as they set their things down by a tree. Anya laughed as she hopped up onto a nearby boulder, her book balanced on her lap.

"Oh yeah- real witty!" Draco taunted. "God this place is going to the dogs. Wait until my father hears that Dumbledore has this _oaf _teaching classes."

"And who do you think could do better Ralph-boy? _You?_"Anya shot back not even looking at the blonde. She didn't care how nice he had been to her on the train- anyone that insulted her friends deserved to be treated like trash. "Now _that _would have to be the biggest joke to the school. Then again, just your being here is enough of an insult."

"Why don't you shut it Collie?" Pansy Parkinson shouted at the auburn haired girl. "Or I'll shut it for you!" Anya felt hands push at her back and she slid off the boulder, barely catching herself from making a face plant. She rounded on the Slytherin.

Before anyone could blink, Anya had shoved Pansy hard in the chest and sent her flying into the tree behind her. But it didn't end there; Anya grabbed the girl's arm and twisted it behind her back, her other hand coming up to wrap around Pansy's throat.

"Listen here, _bitch_, 'cause I'm only going to warn you once!" Anya growled. "If you keep pushing my buttons anymore, I'm going to grab you by the hair and throw you around like a rag doll before I cut you to pieces and feed you to my owl! You got that?" The Slytherin gave a meek nod and Anya shoved her away from her person. Anya was seriously starting to lose her patience. As if dealing with Lucy Heller back home wasn't bad enough, she had to come here and deal with this girl.

"Draco! Aren't you going to do something about that _Mudblood_?" Pansy spat out the last word while she pawed at the Malfoy heir. Anya saw red.

But it seemed that Anya didn't have to do anything. Because as soon as the insult left Pansy's lips, Draco turned on her and slapped her across the face. The sound echoed through the entire area.

"Don't you _ever_ call her that again!" he hissed. Pansy just looked at him in shock... as did everyone else. As if a Malfoy defending a Gryffindor wasn't odd enough, he was defending a _muggle-born_ Gryffindor. Half-blood, maybe less of a shock, but a muggle-born? Anya could do nothing but stand there with her jaw hanging open. Draco looked back at her and gave an apologetic smile before going back to the rest of the Slytherins.

"Ahem!" Everyone snapped out of their stupor when Hagrid returned with the creature of the day.

It was simply beautiful in Anya's eyes: the head and forelegs were like a giant eagle's and it had massive wings that were folded against its body while the hindlegs and tail were that of a horse's. The creature was a lovely shade of pearl-grey and its yellow eyes moved around with the curiousity of a child.

"Isn't he beautiful?" Hagrid asked, tossing the creature the carcass of a ferret. "Say 'ello ter Buckbeak!"

"Hagrid? Exactly what is that?" Ron asked.

"That Ron is a hippogriff. Very proud creatures. You do not want to insult a hippogriff- it may just be the last thing that you do." Hagrid clapped his hands. "Now... who would like to come say 'ello?"

Anya looked around and saw everyone step back except for her and Harry who was still staring at the creature. "We'll go!" she volunteered.

"Well done then," Hagrid grinned as he watched the two students walk up.

"Now the first thing yeh do is step up and give him a nice bow. Then yeh wait and see if he bows back. If he does, yeh can go and pet him and if not- well we'll get ter that later."

So Anya and Harry did as they were told. Harry bent very low at the waist while Anya went even further: she went down on one knee as one would greet royalty and bowed her head. Her black robe was spread around her like the skirt of a ball gown and the sun shone through the trees and made her hair glow red. The two looked like a prince and princess.

Buckbeak turned to look at the two students and everyone watched as the creature bowed his head at them. Hagrid let out a breath of relief before throwing another dead ferret for the hippogriff.

"Well done yeh two. I think yeh can go and pet him now. Come on, don't be shy!" he encouraged them as they stood back up. "Go nice and slow, mind yeh."

The two friends took very small and cautious steps, raising their hands just as slow, but they eventually came close enough to Buckbeak to touch him. Harry lightly pet the creature's grey beak while Anya smoothed her hand across the soft feathers along his neck. Buckbeak's eyes closed with pleasure.

"You're a good boy, aren't you?" Anya cooed at the hippogriff. "And so handsome too." She kept her voice no higher than an octave above a whisper. Buckbeak chirped with pride.

"You really are good with animals, aren't you Anya?" Harry asked, amazed with how quickly the creature took to her.

"Thanks... I love all animals Harry. My parents weren't all that surprised that I signed up for this class," Anya replied.

"I think he may let yeh ride him now," Hagrid said from behind them and before either could stop him, Hagrid hoisted them both onto the back of the hippogriff. "Now don't pull out any of his feathers 'cause he won't thank yeh fer that!" And with a smack against his backside, Buckbeak took off.

"Yikes!" Anya screamed, wrapping her arms tightly around Harry's waist in fear of falling off and burrying her face into his shoulders with eyes clenched shut. She didn't mind flying but this was a little different from a broomstick.

"Anya! Look!" Harry shouted a few minutes later and Anya peaked one eye open. What she saw made her gasp.

They few flying directly over the lake and Anya watched as Buckbeak skimmed the surface with his claw, small droplets of water jumping up and catching the sunlight. It was magical and... freeing.

But unfortunately all good things must end and Buckbeak flew back to the pen. Anya and Harry laughed as they hopped off and looked at each other: Harry's hair was windblown and Anya's messy bun had almost come undone completely.

"Well done Harry! Well done Anya! And well done Buckbeak!" Hagrid cheered over the applause as he walked up to the two students. "How am I doing me first day?" he asked them in a whisper.

"Fantastic, Professor Hagrid!" Ana replied with a wink. She could just make out a blush under the half-giant's beard.

Meanwhile, back with the rest of the class, people were whispering.

"That looked like fun!" one student commented. "I hope I get a turn today!"

"And did you see Harry and Anya?" another asked. "They looked so cute together. I bet they'd make a great couple!" Apparently someone didn't take that comment too well.

Draco pushed his way from the back of the group and strutted up to Buckbeak. "Yeah, you're not dangerous at all are you? Great ugly brute!"

Big mistake! Screams suddenly errupt from the crowd as Buckbeak went into a frenzy, wings expanding and forelegs flailing. Harry quickly dragged Anya out of the way and they watched in horror as one of Buckbeak's claws slashed Draco's arm.

"Buckbeak, no!" Anya shouted as she tore herself away from her friend and stepped in between the hippogriff and the fallen Slytherin, arms raised in surrender. "Down boy! It's ok! No one's going to hurt you!"

But it seemed that the creature was too frightened to acknowledge anything. His claw came down again and Anya felt the searing pain as it caught her upper left arm. Bright red bloomed across the shirt she wore and she fell to the ground beside the other injured student, gripping at her arm to stop the blood that slowly seeped through her fingers.

"Anya!" she heard her friends shout in fear but she could hardly focus on anything else except the pain. Her violet eyes darted around and she saw the Malfoy heir look on at her, his grey eyes clouded with worry. And that was all she remembered before things went black.

,:~:,

Anya hissed as she tried to sling her bookbag onto her shoulder the next morning. After the accident with Buckbeak, Hagrid had brought Anya and Draco up to the hospital wing where Madame Pomfrey stitched them up easily. But that didn't quite help with the small bursts of pain whenever she moved her arm too quickly. She was only glad that she didn't have to have a sling like Draco.

Her friends fussed over her for the fifth time that day. "Are you alright?" Vi asked.

"Yeah... I'm fine. It's really not that bad." Anya waved it off. "Can't say the same for my tank, though. It's too bad- that was one of my favorite."

"Only you could joke about something like this," Hermione sighed.

"Yeah... but at least she's not laying it on thick like Malfoy," Ron growled.

Sure enough, sitting at the Slytherin table surrounded by 'concerned friends', Draco was basking in the attention. Anya felt like gagging when she heard him go on about how he would have 'lost his arm'.

"Little bastard deseves it and worse," she hissed.

"At least Hagrid didn't get fired," Harry said.

"Yeah, but I heard Draco's father is furious," Hermione added. "We haven't heard the last of this."

"He's been sighted! He's been sighted!" fellow Gryffindor, Seamus Finnigan, shouted as he came running into the Great Hall.

"Who?" Vi asked.

"Sirius Black!" Anya snatched the copy of the Daily Prophet from Seamus and set it on the table. She grimaced when someone pushed into her shoulder but ignored it as she read through.

"Dufftown?" Hermione read. "That's not far from here!"

"You don't think he'll come to Hogwarts... do you?" Neville Longbottom asked worriedly.

"With dementors at every entrance?"

"Dementors- he's already slipped pass them once, hasn't he? Who's to say he won't do it again?" As much as Anya hated to admit it, Seamus did have a point.

"He's right... Trying to catch Sirius Black is like try to catch smoke with bare hands." someone said. Anya shivered as she stared at the moving picture of the killer.

_ 'What could possibly happen next?'_

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><p><em><strong>AC: OK, I am blacking out a lot lately. How much longer am I going to have to put up with this?<strong>_

_**MMM: A while... like for the rest of the school year.**_

_**AC: What? Why?**_

_**MMM: It's important to the story! Just go with it!**_

_**Please read and review!**_

_**Nancy (aka megamatchmaker)  
><strong>_


	25. Year 3 Ch4

**_MMM: Whoa! I can't believe how close I am to 100 reviews! This is awesome! Anyway, I'd just like to thank everyone for their reviews this week. A lot of them were just so kind and more than once, I found myself blown away by the wonderful words written to me. I never really thought of myself as an 'awesome writer', but it's very nice to hear. Thanks Mari (ILoveReadingAndWriting)!_**

**_AC: Yeah, thanks you guys! Big hugs to all of you!_**

**_MMM: Well, on with the story!_**

**_Disclaimer: Don't own Harry Potter, yadda, yadda, yadda... You know the drill. ;)_**

* * *

><p><strong><strong>**Ch. 25 Boggarts and Break-ins**

When Anya and the others stepped into Defense Against the Dark Arts, they knew right away that this wasn't going to be an average class. The desks and chairs had been pushed against the walls. Professor Lupin turned as the first student stepped into the classroom and he gave a warm smile.

"Good morning everyone!" he greeted them."No, I don't think we'll be needing those today," he commented when some of the students went for their books. Suddenly, the wardrobe that stood beside him shook.

"Don't be alarmed," the professor reassured them as the class slowly backed away. "There's nothing to worry about. You see, there's a boggart in there. Now who here can tell me what a boggart is?" Anya raised her hand as best she could. "Yes, Miss..."

"Collins, sir. Boggarts are shape shifters that take the form of what a person fears the most. The only time that a boggart is in its true form is when it is hidden in dark and confined places, so no one knows what it _really _looks like."

"Very good, Ms. Collins- ten points to Gryffindor." Anya smiled, glad that at least _one_ thing was going well since they got back to Hogwarts. "Now, there is a simple spell that can be used to repel a boggart. Without wands, please. Repeat after me: _Riddikulus_."

After a few minutes of practicing, Professor Lupin had Neville come to the front of the class. Everyone got a little chuckle of of hearing the professor agree with Neville that Professor Snape did frighten people. But Anya was curious about why he asked Neville about his grandmother and her fashion tastes. Not for long.

Everyone watched as Professor Lupin stepped to the side as the wardrobe door opened and the boggart stepped out, having taken the appearance of the potions master. Laughter errupted when Neville shouted the spell and the boggart's long black robes were replaced by the green dress, fox-fur scarf, and vulture-topped hat. Anya had to hold onto Harry's arm to keep from toppling over.

"Wonderful Neville!" Lupin congratulated the Gryffindor. "Everyone form a line! Now I want you to picture the very thing you fear most and turn it into something funny." He reached beside him to turned on a phonograph and a lively jazz began to play while everyone pushed their way into the line. Anya stood to the side of the room, figuring to let others go first to avoid getting shoved in the arm by Crabbe and Goyle. "Next! Ron."

The redhead reluctantly stepped up in front of the boggart and the sounds of a whip cracking was heard as Snape disappeared and a spider the size of a baby elephant took its place. A few girls even screamed and backed away; Anya was almost positive that she saw one guy almost faint. Ron let out the faintest whimper before casting the spell and rollerskates appeared on the spider's eight legs. It couldn't keep its balance and landed flat on its belly, only to fall back down when it tried to get back up again. Anya was practically gasping for breath.

_Crack!_ A snake appeared as the next person stepped up and Anya felt herself go rigid, all laughter dying on her lips. It may of had pure black eyes and yellow scales, but its size reminded Anya of the basilisk. She wanted to curl in on herself, trap the fear inside, but she could only stand there like a statue. When an arm wrapped around her shoulders, she jumped. When she looked, she could have sworn she saw a concerned look on Draco Malfoy's face.

"_Riddikulus!_" the girl facing the boggart shouted as the snake lunged forward, and people laughed it turned into a smiling jack-in-the-box. Anya sighed with relief and shrugged off Draco's arm from her person, a small hiss escaped through her teeth with the pain. _'At the rate I'm going, I'm gonna rip these stitches out!'_

Harry was up next and it seemed that the boggart had no idea what scared Harry the most. The jack-in-the-box kept going back and forth for about a minute. _Crack!_ A large form with decaying hands and shredded black robes appeared, flying through the space towards Anya's friend.

But just as Anya was about to dash over to his side, Professor Lupin suddenly jumped in front of Harry and the dementor-boggart changed once again, this time taking the form of clouds parting to reveal a full moon.

"_Riddikulus!_" the professor shouted and the moon turned into a deflating balloon. It zoomed around the room and Anya had to duck in order to avoid the flying piece of rubber. Then with a flick of Lupin's wrist, the door to the wardrobe opened and the boggart flew back in.

"Sorry about that... that's enough for today's lesson. Sorry! Can't have too much of a good thing," he apologized to the groaning students.

"Too bad... I was really looking forward to my turn," Hermione commented as the four friends made their way down the stairs.

"Not me!" Anya replied. "I don't care if practicing with that thing would help _cure _me of my fear. With my claustrophobia, I'd probably have a panic attack before I could even raise my hand."

"I didn't know you were claustrophobic Anya," Ron said.

"Well, you better believe it." Anya shivered as she told the story.

"I think I was barely five years old when it happened. I'd been playing hide-and-seek with Irene and Emily at their place. I decided to go hide in the empty chest that they had in their basement. Anyway, I must have knocked into something because this really heavy box fell on top of the lid and I was trapped. We were so young, we could barely move it and I had to wait for two hours before their older brother could get me out of there. Luckily, a couple books fell in the way so the lid hadn't clamped shut and I didn't suffocate. Ever since then, I've been terrified of small spaces."

,:~:,

Before anyone knew it, the first month back had already passed. After two more visits to Madame Pomfrey to keep tabs on her arm, Anya had the stitches removed and was given a clean bill of health. And today was the first trip to Hogsmeade village.

"Come on, you guys! We're going to be late!" Anya shouted up at her friends while she zipped her light blue jacket half-way, revealing the black turtleneck sweater she had on underneath. She patted the pockets of her jeans and heard the change clinking together in the small pouch.

"Sorry!" Hermione said as she came down the steps followed closely by Harry and Ron. "Harry couldn't find his form anywhere."

But it seemed that the search for the paper had been in vain; Professor McGonagall told the dark-haired wizard that it would be inappropirate for her to sign the form seeing as she was neither a parent nor a guardian. Anya looked on as her friend miserably made his way back to the entrance to the castle.

She turned back to the others, yanking the change purse out of her pocket. "Pick something up for me and Harry at Honeydukes and Zonko's, 'kay?" Without another word, Anya handed the purse over to Hermione before dashing back to the castle.

"Harry! Harry, wait up!" The young wizard turned in surprise as Anya ran up to him.

"Anya, what are you doing? You're going to miss the carriages to the village," he stated.

Anya simply shrugged in response, hooking her arm around Harry's. "I'm sticking with my friend today, that's what I'm doing.

"And before you go and try to tell me that I shouldn't give up my chance to go to Hogsmeade, I have to say save your breath. I'm staying and you might as well just accept that," Anya was quick to add when she saw that Harry was about to say something. "Besides, it's not like there won't be other trips. And even those I'd gladly skip to keep you company."

Harry's green eyes shone with merriment. "Thanks Anya. I really appreciate it." He pulled her in a one-armed hug which she gladly returned.

"Good morning you two." Harry and Anya turned around to see Professor Lupin standing behind them. Anya was impressed with just how capable the man seemed to be, considering the fact that when she first saw him he looked like a simple hex would knock him down for the count. Even now, when he seemed an almost sickly pale color, he still had that kind and humorous nature in his eyes. "Not attending the trip, are we?"

"Good morning, Professor," Anya greeted him with a smile. "We decided that we'd just relax a little today is all." She didn't want Harry to feel worse than he already was.

Lupin's eyes held a teasing look in them. "You're lying." Anya was shocked. _'How does he know that?'_ "I saw what you did outside, Ms. Collins. I think ten points are in order for Gryffindor house for that act of kindness, don't you think so Mr. Potter?"

"Yes sir," Harry replied. "And please sir, 'Harry' is fine."

"And just 'Anya' will do with me," Anya added. "When I heard 'Ms. Collins', I think of some little old lady with a dozen cats. It's kind of creepy."

"Very well then." Amusement glittered in the weary wizard's eyes. He nodded his head before turning around to walk off.

"Professor?" Harry called. The defense master turned back to the two students. "I was wondering if I could ask you something?"

"You want to know why I stopped you from facing that boggart, don't you?" Harry seemed to be taken back. He could only nod his head. "Well I assumed that it would have taken the shape of Lord Voldemort." This caught both teens off guard; not many people spoke of the late evil wizard by his name.

"Yeah well, you know what happens when you assume, right?" Anya joked. Lupin looked at her and chuckled.

"Yes... I know what happens," he said.

"Well I did think of Voldemort... at first. But then I remembered that night on the train, with the dementor." Harry seemed careful with choosing his words.

"I'm very impressed. That suggests that what you fear most is fear itself- this is very wise," Lupin stated. "Dementors force us to relive our worst memories. Our pain becomes their power, if you will."

"Just before I fainted, I heard a woman screaming... I think it was my mother." Anya patted her friend's shoulder and his hand came up to grasp hers as a thank you.

Professor Lupin sighed, leaning against the railing beside Harry. "You know, when I first met you Harry, I recognized you immediately." Harry looked down, his hand instictively coming up to his forehead. "Not by your scar- by your eyes. They're your mother Lily's.

"I knew your parents quite well," he continued, oblivious to the stunned look he received from the young boy. "Your mother was an incredibly kind and gifted witch. She had the ability to see the beauty in others- even when they themselves could not."

"Sounds like she was there for you when you needed it, huh Professor?" Anya asked, resting her elbows and back against the railing on the opposite side of Harry.

"Yes." A sad smile appeared on the teacher's face before he turned to look at Anya. "You actually remind me of her in many ways, Anya. You have the same warmth and kindness in your eyes as she did." Then he turned back to Harry. "But your father, James, on the other hand... he had- ha- shall we say a talent for trouble... A talent, rumor has it, he passed on to you."

"Ain't that the truth," Anya mumbled under her breath.

"In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if you two wound up together just as they did," Professor Lupin added as an afterthought.

"What?" both teens exclaimed. "As glad as I am that Harry and I are as compatible as his parents had been, there is no _way_ that I could see him as anything else but my friend. Brother- sure, but that's it," Anya finished.

"I only meant it in good humor Anya." The professor held up his hands in surrender. "I can see that you two get along far too well for anything else than a sibling love." At that, Anya's hand came up to twist the lightning bolt-shaped pendant that hung from her neck. A small glint of light came off from around Harry's neck and Anya felt tears prick at her eyes when she saw that he was wearing the one she had given him two summers ago.

,:~:,

"Hey Anya!" Anya turned on her heel to see who it was that had called her.

It was Steve Jones, a fellow third-year from Hufflepuff house. Anya remembered having a few classes with him last year, but with she never really talked to him. His thick black glasses were gone now, revealing the perfect green eyes and his dirty blonde hair was trimmed short. And his built! Anya remembered seeing him as nothing but skin and bones.

_ 'He looks like something out of those old beach party movies!'_ Anya thought as she saw the way his tight t-shirt stretched across his pecs. _'He must have worked out like crazy to get a body like that!'_

"How was your summer Anya?" Anya snapped out of it when she realized she was straight-out staring. She had to stop herself from checking if there was any drool in the corner of her mouth.

"Umm... it was fine. Nothing special. How about you?"

"I was good. Though I have to say, I sure did miss your beautiful face."

"Hmm..." Anya suddenly stopped. "What did you just say?"

"I said I missed seeing your beautiful face during the summer," Steve repeated.

Anya gave a small chuckle. "Beautiful? You think _I'm_ beautiful?"

Steve nodded his head, bright red splotches forming on his cheeks. "Yeah... I was sure I already told you this. Or did you never get my letter last year?"

"That was you?" Anya stared on in shock as he nodded his head. She rolled up her sleeve to reveal the amethyst star bracelet she'd received last Christmas. "You mean you got me this last year?"

"Took a good while to afford it, but I'm glad it was money well spent."

"And the flowers beside my bed last year? When I was petrified? Those were from you?" Anya questioned.

"And the valentine that you set on fire," Steve added.

"Oh my gosh!" Anya burried her face in her hands in hope of hiding the scarlet of her cheeks. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

It was Steve's turn to be embarassed. He looked down at his feet, scuffing the tip of his shoes. "Well... you never said anything. I just thought that... well, I didn't think you liked me or anything."

Anya stepped closer to the handsome wizard, resting her hand lightly on his arm; it felt like satin stretched across steel ropes. "I didn't even know who it was... but I'm glad I know now," she added with a smile.

Steve looked up and grinned back, his hand coming up to scratch at the back of his neck. "So, um... I was wondering... maybe you'd like to go out some time? I hear the Three Broomsticks down in Hogsmeade is really good."

Anya smiled. "I can't wait." And with a small peck on his cheek, Anya walked off into the Great Hall.

"Well... you sure seem happy about something," Vi stated when she saw the dreamy smile on her friend's face. "What's with you?"

"Oh... nothing," Anya sighed as she sat down. "Just finally met Mr. Anonymous!" She was surprised with the delightful squeal that escaped her lips.

"You did? Oh Anya, that's wonderful!" Hermione wrapped the auburn-haired girl into a great hug. "I'm so happy for you! Who is he?"

"Steve Jones," Anya replied. She pointed to two paper bags. "Are these mine?" Once Hermione nodded and handed her change purse back, Anya opened the first bag and pulled out a package of jelly slugs.

"Steve Jones? You mean Stickly-Steve?" Ron asked.

"Yup, but he sure as hell isn't a 'stick' anymore- more like a 'stud'!" Anya stated.

"Well... as your 'brothers', I think it's fair to warn you that the second we see that he's treating you wrong, Ron and I will have to take action," Harry said. Anya felt her heart warm.

"And that goes double for your 'sisters'. He'd be sorry to ever mess with an Irish gal," Vi added.

"Thanks you guys," Anya beamed before tearing into the joke bag. She was completely unaware of a certain Slytherin walking away in defeat.

They continued talking for a little while, sorting through the different packs of sweets and joke products Ron and Hermione had picked up. Though Anya had the strangest feeling that something wasn't right. After all, Hogwarts wasn't exactly known for its good fortune. But she merely brushed it off, figuring that her imagination was getting the better of her. If only she had listen to her gut.

When the four friends left Vi near Hufflepuff common room and began to make their way up the grand staircase to Gryffindor tower, they saw that there was some sort of commotion. "What do you think's going on?" Harry asked.

"Probably some first year that's forgotten the password or something," Ron replied.

Just as he said this, his little sister Ginny pushed her way down towards them. "The fat lady! She's gone!"

Anya gasped when she saw the ruined remains of the portrait that guarded the Gryffindor common room. It looked like someone had grown claws and sliced at the canvas, shredding it beyond repair.

They finally found the fat lady, hidden in a painting two floors up. The poor woman was as white as a sheet was shaking like a leaf.

"Eyes like the devil's, he's got!" she cried when Professor Dumbledore arrived and asked her what had happened. "And a soul as dark as his name! It's him, Headmaster, the one they all talk about. He's here! Somewhere in the castle! Sirius Black!"

The entire student body soon found themselves back in the Great Hall, each rounded up by their head of house who began a head count. Anya looked around fearfully for her other friends and finally relaxed when she saw Vi and Steve near Professor Sprout. As Anya was about to rush over to them, a sleeping bag suddenly appeared in her arms.

"The school's on lockdown for the night," Hermione explained as they along with the boys headed to a large spot on the floor to unroll their sleeping bags. "No one's leaving the Great Hall tonight."

That night, Anya had the strangest dream. She was outside on the school ground, standing near an immoble version of the Whomping Willow tree. Before her was a werewolf, its yellow fangs bared at Anya as it was ready to make the kill.

Just as it seemed to be ready to pounce, a large black dog suddenly appeared before her. "The Grim," she had whispered, thinking that it was her doom coming to greet her. But the dog in fact was facing away from her, baring its teeth at the werewolf.

Suddenly, the werewolf disappeared and Anya watched as the dog slowly turned around to look at her, its big brown eyes turning grey-ish blue... and human.

When Anya awoke the next day, she remembered nothing of the dream.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AC: Hmm... Well, I wasn't expecting that.<strong>_

_**MMM: Of course not. Told you I wouldn't make it too easy, remember?**_

_**DM: How the hell am I going to go up against Steve Jones? He's huge! Why couldn't you have just left him as a scrawny bloke? I could have taken him then!**_

_**MMM: My story, my rules!**_

_**DM: *grumbles***_

_**MMM: Well, that's all for today! Catch you next week! Don't forget to review!  
><strong>_

_**Nancy (aka megamatchmaker)  
><strong>_


	26. Year 3 Ch5

_**MMM: Hey everyone! Happy St. Patrick's Day! Hope you're all getting your Irish on! Anyway, big thank you or the reviews last week. A lot of you really seem to be liking my story and I'm really glad about it.**_

_**AC: Yeah... hey Nancy, can I have some Bailey's Irish cream today?  
><strong>_

_**MMM: No- you're only thirteen.**_

_**AC: So?**_**Your_ mom let you have some on St. Patrick's Day when you were my age._**

**_MMM: Yes, but that was because I actually have some Irish blood in me on my grandmother's side of the family and that woman was very strict about this holiday. Hell, she told us that if we ever didn't wear green for St. Patrick's Day, she would come back from the grave and give us a smack upside the head.  
><em>**

**_VS: Does that mean I get to have some? *smiles hopefully*_**

**_MMM: No. Look, I'll go to the store later and pick up some non-alcoholic kind for you. Deal?_**

**_AC &VS : It's not the same. *walks off defeated*_**

**_MMM: Well, now that that is taken care of... on with the story! As usual, JK Rowling owns HP. I'm just borrowing it._**

* * *

><p><strong>Ch. 26 Go to hell!<strong>

So as it turned out, Sirius Black hadn't stuck around that night after his run in with the fat lady, not that it was much of a shock. Security had been doubled on the school but of course, dementors were to still be kept far from the actual school grounds. But it seemed that someone forgot to mention that to the dementors.

It had happened about two weeks after the break-in, during the Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff. It would have been between Gryffindor and Slytherin if Draco Malfoy hadn't been complaining still about how his arm hurt.

"I can _really_ give him a reason to whine," Anya threatened, cracking her knuckles as she glared at the back of the blonde's head as she and her friends exited class the day before. "He'll forget all about his arm." And she would have gone through on the threat too, if Harry and the others hadn't reminded her that it wouldn't solve anything.

"Besides, if you get caught, Snape will try and have you banned from the game," Harry stated. Due to a serious case of the flu, Angelina Johnson had to be benched for the first game of the year and Anya was to take her position as chaser for Gryffindor.

It was pouring outside on the day of the match. If it hadn't been for the spell that was cast on the pair of goggles she was wearing, Anya was sure she would have flown into something. And that was when it happened.

Anya had just scored another ten points for Gryffindor when she felt the cool breeze become even cooler- December cool. Anya looked around to see what the hell was going on and she saw about twenty or so dementors creeping onto the pitch. She suddenly felt lightheaded and lost her grip on her broom. The last thing she remembered seeing was the ground quickly coming closer.

When she woke up, she wasn't surprised to see that she was back in the hospital wing. She was surprised to see that Harry was sprawled out on the bed next to her. Anya listened as Hermione spoke of how Dumbledore had been furious that the dementors had come onto the grounds and as soon as he rescued the two Gryffindor students, he sent them off.

_'Well that explains why I'm here and not in a body bag somewhere,'_ Anya thought, moving her limbs experimentally. Aside from a few scratches and a bruise or two, nothing was seriously hurt. Her wrist was a little sore, but other than that, she was fine.

"Umm... there's something else you should know too Harry," Ron began and it was then that Anya noticed he was holding a bundle of what looked like a large banner. "When you fell... your broom sort of... blew into the Whomping Willow." Anya gasped when she saw the shattered remains of what was once Harry's prized Nimbus Two Thousand. It didn't take a genius to know that Harry was crushed.

"Everyone out! These two need at least another few hours of rest before they have anymore visitors!" Madame Pomfrey shouted as she shooed Hermione, Ron, and the rest of Gryffindor team away.

,:~:,

"Hello there." Anya looked up from the book she borrowed off Hermione to see Steve standing there, a lovely bouquet of red roses in his hands.

"Hey," she smiled as he lent down and placed a gentle kiss on her cheek. "How's Hufflepuff's seeker doing? Heard he got hit with some lightning during the match."

"Well other than a little static, he'll be alright." He held out the flowers. "For you."

"That's so sweet." Anya took a small sniff of the sweet fragrance. "They're lovely."

Steve smiled again as he sat on the side of her bed, But as he started leaning in to give Anya what was possibly her first real kiss, he quickly pulled back and was barely able to cover his nose before he sneezed. And again... and again.

"Wow. Looks like someone's thinking about you a lot," Anya joked. She wasn't superstitious, but she had heard one saying about when a person sneezes, it was because someone was thinking of them.

"No... it's not that," Steve said as he plucked a tissue from the box Anya offered him. "It's those!" He pointed to the table on the opposite side of her bed, where a small vase of white gardenias were sitting in a crystal vase. "I can't stand those stupid weeds! They give me such a headache."

Anya looked puzzled. _'If he's allergic to gardenias, then why...'_ "Steve? Last year when I was stuck in the hospital wing, what was it that you left for me?"

"Flowers of course, just like the ones you're holding," he replied before letting out another round of sneezes. "Bloody hell! Do you mind throwing those things out? They're driving me insane."

As he reached for the vase, Anya's hand came up and stopped him. "Keep your hands off my things!" she hissed at him. She kicked him hard enough that he fell off the bed and threw the roses in his face. "Admit it! You never sent me that bracelet or the note! You lied to me!"

"So what if I did?" Steve shouted back, standing up to his dominating height- which was at least a foot above her head. "You should be _glad_ that someone took interest in you! I heard you talking to that Smith girl about your little secret admirer- probably someone's idea of a joke- and decided to give you the opportunity to live in a little _love bubble_. Most girls would be _dying_ to date me! I'm the most good-looking guy in the whole school!"

"Oh yeah?" Anya's eyes narrowed to slits. "Well I'll let you in on something- I'm not like most girls."

Steve's eyes went wide as Anya's knee came up to connect with his private area and he fell like a stone. And while he was doubled over, Anya grabbed the vase on her bedside table along with Hermione's book, and ran out of the hospital wing.

"I can't believe that jackass!" Anya screeched, startling Hermione when she came barreling in to the girl's common room. "I hope he rots!" She put her things on her dresser before walking to the end of her bed, throwing the chest open.

"Who?" the brunette asked fearfully when she saw how violently Anya was tugging off her Quidditch uniform- more like shredding it off.

"Jones, that's who!" Anya yelled, slightly muffled by the mouthful of wool as she yanked on her neon blue sweater. "The little shit lied about being my admirer! Said he heard me talking to Vi about it the other day and figured I'd just _love_ to date him! I should have known!" The last part came out as a half-yell, half-cry. She flopped down on her bed, burying her face into her pillow as the tears fell.

"Oh Anya," Hermione whispered as she went to her friend's side and lightly patted her back. "I'm so sorry."

"I was so stupid..." Anya whispered when she finally pulled away from her pillow, exposing the wetness on her face to the cold. "He's probably right- it was probably someone's sick idea of a joke."

"Anya Jasmine Collins, how could you think that?" Anya was shocked; she never heard Hermione yell at her like that, or call her by her full name. "Any guy would have to be out of his _mind_ to not fall for a girl like you! You're the prettiest, smartest, and the most popular girl of our year! I could only _hope_ to be as _half_ as amazing as you are!"

Anya couldn't help but give a watery smile. "That's funny," she said as she wiped at her eyes. "I thought _I_ was the one out of the gang to give the pep talks."

The brunette simply replied with a laugh before they hugged. "So how did you find out?"

"Gardenias- turns out he can't _stand _being around them without sneezing his head off. This was on my bedside table upstairs." Anya gestured to the vase she had brought down. "You guys didn't leave them, did you?"

"No, not me and Ron was busy getting Harry's broom," Hermione said. "So that means that your real admirer is still interested."

When the girls went downstairs to the Great Hall for dinner that night, they found Harry and Ron already at the table along with Vi. As they sat down, Steve Jones came walking by.

"What was that about?" Ron asked when he noticed how the blonde seemed to be glaring daggers at his friend.

So Anya retold the story of what had happened that afternoon. Both boys cringed when she mentioned how she got even with the Huflepuff but they knew he deserved it.

"Honestly, I wasn't all that impressed with the bloke," Vi admitted as they finished up. "He was a prissy-boy; way too vain for you." She slung her arm over Anya's shoulder. "Don't worry- I'll get him later in Hufflepuff common room. So would you like his head on a silver platter? Maybe a side order of grilled ass?"

Anya laughed. "No thanks. I'm just glad I found out before I got in too involved with him," Anya replied.

That didn't stop Vi from following the blonde Hufflepuff after dinner, corner him, cast a full body-locking jinx, and stuff him the one of the supply closets up on the third floor. The Irish girl slept peacefully that night, a plan blossoming in her mind with how to help a certain fellow student approach the girl of his dreams.

,:~:,

The next morning was as typical as any Sunday in England- cloudy and cool.

"Hey you guys, why don't we go see Hagrid?" Anya suggested as she and the rest of the Golden Quartet lounged around in the courtyard. "It's been a while since we saw him besides class."

"Sounds like a plan," Harry agreed and the four friends headed down to the little hut near the Forbidden Forest.

When they got there, they noticed that Buckbeak had been chained to a pole in Hagrid's pumpkin patch. Anya bowed to the hippogriff and when he returned the gesture, she began to stroke his feathered head. He was making a small whimpering noise.

"I read that hippogriffs make that sound when they feel remorse or extreme sadness," Hermione commented when she heard the noise.

"Is it because you feel bad about what happened the other day in class?" Anya asked the creature who nodded his head in shame. "Aww... you don't have to apologize for that sweetie. I know it wasn't your fault- it that loser Malfoy's. Besides, you're way too cute and cuddly for people to stay mad at you." Buckbeak chirped happily and nuzzled closer to Anya, his wing coming up to hug her to his side.

"I don't think that most people would feel the same, Anya." The four Gryffindors turned to see the half-giant they had come to see. But instead of the usual happy look he had on his face, he looked gloomy.

"What are you talking about Hagrid?" Harry asked. The only reply he received was a piece of paper that was handed to him. Harry skimmed through the letter and Anya could see the shock in his eyes. "But they can't do that, can they?"

"Do what?" Anya asked as Hermione snatched the paper from Harry.

"It's a letter from the Ministry of Magic. Lucius Malfoy has ordered for a trial against Hagrid and Buckbeak!" the brunette answered.

Anya gasped, her arms instictively hugging the hippogriff's neck. "That's terrible! He can't get away with that! Malfoy was specifically told to _not_ insult a hippogriff and he did it anyway! If anything, Hagrid should be suing _them_ for risking the safety of the other students!"

"Well, I can add that ter me argument, but I'm not sure it would do much good," Hagrid said gloomly. "If Lucius Malfoy wants something, he gets what he wants."

Anya felt the fury burn in her veins. "Excuse me," she hissed as she turned on her heel and started back the way she just came.

"Where are you going?" Ron asked.

"To take care of a certain pest problem that needs to be dealt with!" Anya shouted back.

,:~:,

Anya must have been walked around the castle for hours in search of the blonde Slytherin and every time she didn't find him, her anger only grew. When she passed by the Great Hall, she found his two goons, Crabbe and Goyle, stuffing their faces as usual.

"Hey you two!" she yelled, catching their attention along with anyone in a five foot radius. "I'm looking for Malfoy- you see him anywhere?"

"What's it to you?" Goyle asked through a mouthful of cakes.

"Yeah- what do you want with him, _Mudblood_?" Crabbe laughed.

"_Stupify!_" The cried echoed through the almost bare hall and Crabbe was face-first in his plate. Goyle looked on in fear as the auburn haired teen glared at his fallen friend and even whimpered when she turned on him. "Where- is- he?"

"Down by the lake. He usually goes there for a couple hours," Goyle squeaked. Anya gave a curt nod before stomping back outside.

Sure enough, there was Draco dressed in his usual black suit, skipping stones along the surface of the lake. When he heard the gravel crunching under someone's feet, he looked up and had the _gall_ to smile.

"Hi A-"

"Don't you _dare_ 'hi' me Malfoy!" Anya shouted, stomping up until she was close enough to _strangle _him- something she would be only _delighted _ to do. "Who do you think you are, you jerk! Buckbeak only attacked you because you _provoked_ him! And then you just had to go _whining _to Daddy dearest, huh? 'Oh Daddy, a mean hippogriff scratched me! Do something about it!' Is that how it went? _Huh?_"

"That wasn't it at all!" The Malfoy heir replied, but Anya cut him off before he could say anything else.

"You know- I don't even know why I bothered asking _you_ of all people. All you Malfoys ever seem to do is lie and manipulate people with your money.

"But I'm warning you right now Malfoy... If anything happens to Hagrid or Buckbeak, you are going to _regret_ ever meeting me." And with that, she turned on her heel and walked away.

"Wait! Anya, please! Just listen for a minute!" Draco tried to reason with her, rushing to step in front of her. He took hold of Anya's hand and she quickly snatched it back as though it were burnt.

"Don't touch me!" Anya yelled. "Don't touch me- don't even talk to me!" She looked up into his eyes and saw that they were more blue than grey, like the sea just before a storm hits. "You know... back in September, when we met bumped into each other on the train, I thought that maybe, just maybe, there was some sort of decency in you- some _shred_ of humanity." She scoffed. "Guess I was wrong, huh?" She ducked around the Slytherin and began to truck back to the school.

"But I never told my father about it!" Draco exclaimed, causing Anya to stop in her tracks. "I even stopped the letter that Professor Dumbledore had sent to him!"

"Then how the hell do you explain that letter to Hagrid staying that the Malfoy family is demanding a trial against Hogwarts' new Care of Magical Creatures teacher?" Anya asked. "What? Did you dad just _happen_ to have some messed-up vision or something?"

"One of my friends let it slip to their parents who told my father." Draco remembered the letter he received and how furious his father was when he learnt that his son had been 'attacked'. He was then forced by his father to tell the Minister of Magic what happen, the story twisted to the point where it sounded like Buckbeak had savagely attacked him and Anya without cause.

"Your _friends_? Malfoy, those..._ people_ aren't your friends!" Anya shouted. "Can you honestly say that if you weren't rich or your family didn't have some sort of power, they'd want to spend time around you? Let's face it! Half of them probably couldn't give a damn about the first thing about you! That's not friendship- that's obedience!"

Anya watched as the Malfoy heir hung his head and she felt smug. With that being said, she walked away, unaware of the mighty Slytherin Prince crumbling under the grief he felt.

_'He got what he deserved!'_ Anya thought as she laid in bed that night. _'No one really cares about him, just his money.'_ She turned over on her side, willing herself to sleep. _'So why do I feel sorry for him?'_

* * *

><p><strong><em>MMM: So that's it for today. *looks over at Anya and Vi as they exit kitchen* What are you girls doing?<em>**

**_AC & VS: Nothing! *runs to room with bottle of Bailey's behind their back*_**

**_MMM: Hmm... I gotta go. Don't forget to review!_**

**_Nancy (aka megamatchmaker)  
><em>**


	27. Year 3 Ch6

**_MMM: I am SO SO sorry you guys! I was planning on posting this last week, but we had been planning this big surprise birthday party for my dad for last Saturday. My sister and I had to make final touches to the decor before the party and it went on until almost 3 am and let's not forget that the next day, we had to go back and clean everything up. And after that, we went to my aunt's to try and take care of all the left overs from the monstrous buffet we had ordered for the 100 guests. Put it simple- I was swamped with work and when I got home, I pretty much went straight to sleep._**

******_But back to the story... and I just saw I reached my 100 review mark! YAY! *does happy dance and cheers*_**

**_AC: As you can clearly see, Nancy is very happy and still trying to recover from the party. So I'll take it from here. We would like to thank you all for your reviews and we hope that you like this chapter. And once again, we are very sorry for the delay._**

**_J.K. Rowling owns my friends and life style. Nancy is my creator along with a few others mentioned from time to time._**

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><p><strong>Ch. 27 Music and Hogsmeade<strong>

The next couple of weeks passed by slowly, a dark cloud hovering like the plague. Anya and Hermione spent their free time coming through the library to find some information that could help Hagrid win the case against Lucius Malfoy. Harry and Ron helped too, but the lingo was a little too complicated for them. Vi's mother had offered to represent Hagrid but the pureblood family made sure that Hagrid would be alone in the court room.

Anya looked over at her brunette friend whose head was nearly falling off her arm. "Hermione... are you ok?" she asked, though she knew she wasn't: the dark rings under Hermione's eyes told her enough.

"Yeah... I'm alright," Hermione replied, shaking her head and burrying her nose deeper into the book on Magical Creature's Law. Anya sighed before she reached across the table, snatched the book from the other girl's hands and snapped it shut. "Anya!"

"Hermione, listen to me! You're making yourself sick!" Anya exclaimed. "You don't think I've seen you staying up 'til dawn most nights, working on assignments for classes that you don't even really like? This isn't healthy! If you keep this up, you're going to burn out!"

"I know... but I need to do this Anya. I want to prove myself."

"Proving yourself does not mean sending yourself into an early grave!" Anya shot back before she let out a sigh. "Look- I'll take care of looking for info to help Hagrid. You just go and get some sleep tonight, alright?" The brunette nodded once before sluggishly making her way up the stairs. Anya sighed before grabbing the next book off the pile beside her and began to skim through it.

,:~:,

'Muggle Music Club: First meeting this Saturday at noon, charms classroom.'Anya squealed at the good fortune. After suggesting the idea to the charms master, Professor Flitwick, Anya was finally going to get to have a little piece of home here in the castle.

So when Saturday rolled around, it wasn't a surprise to see that Anya was one of the first few people in the classroom. One student brought in their muggle radio and turned it on to a pop channel. By the time Professor Flitwick arrived, everyone was dancing around to the room.

"It's nice to see everyone so excited!" the little charms master laughed, quickly gaining the attention of the students. "Oops- oh dear!" The papers he had just been carrying slipped from his grasp and scattered along the floor.

"Let us help, Professor," Anya said as she and Vi bent down and gathered the papers, which turned out to be music sheets. "Here you go." She handed them over.

"Thank you kindly, ladies. Now, who would like to start the day off?"

Anya was surprised at the choices. The selection spanned all genres, from the cute and calm rock-n-roll songs of the fifties to the hardcore heavy metal of today. She couldn't help but laugh at the group of boys that began to sing 'Why Do Fools Fall in Love'.

"That was wonderful!" Professor Flitwick cheered as everyone clapped for Vi who just sang 'Miracles Happen'. Once the applause died down, he turned to Anya. "Care to take a turn?" Anya nodded and stepped up to the middle of the room, handing her music to the band.

But just as she was about to signal them to start, the classroom door opened and Anya glared at the blonde who stepped in.

"Ah! Young Draco- I wasn't expecting you to be here," Professor Flitwick said.

The Malfoy heir looked around the room, his eyes lingering on Anya for a moment. "Sorry Professor... I hope I'm not late." When the charms master shook his head, Draco walked over to one of the free chairs and sat down.

When he sat down, Anya noticed something very off about the Slytherin Prince. His eyes were red and puffy, like he'd been crying. _'What would he be crying about?'_ Anya thought. She didn't know why, but she felt the overwhelming urge to rush to the blonde's side and hold him close.

_'No! Bad Anya! That is _not _going to happen!'_ she scolded herself. _'Besides, he'd never want my help... I'm a "mudblood".'_ Shaking her head once to clear it of the sudden sadness she felt, she turned to the band and nodded.

_Do you think you love me? oooh_

_Do you think you love me? oooh_

_Do you think you love me?_

_I think I love you_

_I'm sleeping at night in the middle of a deep dream_

_And all at once I wake up_

_There's something that keeps knocking at my brain_

_Before I go insane I hold my pillow to my head_

_I scream up in my bed_

_Screaming out the words I dread_

_I think I love you_

_Ohh_

_This morning I woke up_

_With this feelin' I don't know how to deal with_

_So I just decided to myself_

_Id' hide it to myself_

_And never talk about it_

_And did not go and shout it when you walk in to the room_

_I think I love you_

_Chorus:_

_I think I love you so what am I so afraid of_

_I'm afraid that I'm not sure of_

_A love there is no cure for_

_I think I love you_

_Isn't that what life is made of_

_So it worries me to say_

_That I never felt this way_

_Believe me you really don't have to worry_

_I only wanna make you happy_

_And if you say go away I will_

_But I think better still I better stay around and love you_

_Do you think I have a case_

_Let me ask you to your face_

_Do you think you love me_

_Chorus_

_Do you think you love me?_

_Do you think you love me?_

_Do you think you love me?_

_Do you think you love me?_

_Don't know what I'm up against oh no_

_Don't know what it's all about oh no_

_I got so much to think about… (think about it)_

_Chorus(X2)_

Anya finished the remix version of David Cassidy's song. With the powerful notes she had to hit and the dancing around to the beat, she was a little winded; her naturally rosy cheeks were an even brighter red. But it was worth it seeing as everyone seemed to get up and start dancing around at one point... well, _almost_ everyone. One pair of eyes looked on with yearning, wishfully thinking that one day those same words would be said to him by the beautiful girl that had just sung them.

,:~:,

"Anya, I'm serious- go!" Harry demanded of his auburn haired friend as they stood in the middle of Gryffindor common room. Today was another trip to Hogsmead village, the fourth of the year to be exact, and still Anya was planning to stay behind with him. "You can't spend every trip here with me! It's not fair to you!"

Anya just stood there, twisting her gloved fingers around the fringe of her scarf. "I feel bad about leaving you behind, though," she mumbled, he head bowed. A small gasp escaped her lips when she felt arms wrap around her. She looked up into green eyes.

"I appreciate the fact that you don't want me to feel alone Anya, but I don't want you to miss out on these trips too. I know you want to go- I can see it in your eyes," the dark-haired wizard stated. "You're like the little sister I never got to have... I just want you to be happy."

"Thanks Harry," Anya beamed. Then she gasped as another pair of arms pulled her away from Harry. She looked over her shoulder and saw the familiar faces of the Weasley twins, Fred and George.

"Don't worry about him Anya," Fred said.

"We can show him an easier way," George finished.

Giving Harry a final squeeze hug, Anya smiled and dashed out of the portrait hole and down to the carriages. When she got there, the door to the last carriage was just about to close. "Hang on a second!" she shouted and the door swung open again. Anya raced over to the carriage, accepting the gloved hand that was offered to help her in with a smile. The door closed as the carriage lurched forward but when Anya looked up to thank the person who helped her, the smile vanished.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me!" she exclaimed, flopping back into the bench opposite of Draco Malfoy. "Of all people- stop the carriage! I'll take the next one!"

"This is the last one for the day," Draco replied and Anya groaned at her misfortune.

The ride over to the village was incredibly quiet seeing as Draco and Anya were the only ones in the carriage. Out of the corner of her eye, Anya saw Draco go to speak several times, but each time his mouth just opened and closed. She said nothing and continued to stare out the window as the scenery slowly passed by. Eventually, they arrived in Hogsmeade.

Anya was desperate to get as far away from the Malfoy heir as possible but she had one tiny problem- she had no idea where anything was. And even with such a small village, the chances of her running into her friends? Slim.

"Umm..." Anya turned around to see Draco looking very nervous about something. "So... would you like a tour of the place?"

"I don't want to put you out or anything like that," she replied. _'He seems sincere... but I can't just trust him.'_

"Please! I insist," Draco was quick to say. He even held his arm out Anya to take like a perfect gentleman. Stunned and speechless, she could do nothing but loop her arm around his and follow.

Draco showed her everything, from the post office which held a minimum of three hundred owls, to the Shrieking Shack. They sampled freshly made fudge at Honeydukes and were barely able to dodge out of Zonko's joke shop when Anya accidentally set off a dung bomb. Though Anya would never admit it out loud, she was actually enjoying herself.

"You think we lost them?" Draco laughed when they finally stopped running, doubled over as he tried to catch his breath.

"Yeah... yeah I think so," Anya gasped before plopping down on the snowy ground. The cold was refreshing and she realized that she didn't remember having this much fun since she was a child. She laughed when she looked up at the blonde and saw his hair was a complete mess.

"What it is?" Draco's hand came up to his head and he began to laugh whe he felt the rat's nest that was his hair.

"Here," Anya said, pulling out a plastic comb from her bag. "One good thing that comes out of being a teenage girl: always keeping spares at hand. You think this hair stays like this all day?" She smoothed her auburn hair back into place. "Even magic has its limits."

Draco chuckled. "You don't need magic." When he looked over at Anya, she saw bright splotches of pink on his cheeks. _'Draco Malfoy, the arrogant Slytherin Prince, is blushing?'_ This was new.

He went to hand the comb back and Anya shook her head. "You keep it. I've got plenty back at the castle. One less won't hurt me." She didn't miss the smile on his face when he tucked it away into his pocket.

,:~:,

"Anya! There you are!" The teenage witch turned to see Vi rushing towards her, stumbling somewhat on icy patches. Luckily for Anya, Draco had gone off somehere so she didn't have to explain why she of all people was hanging around the Slytherin Prince. "I thought you weren't coming this trip."

"Harry convinced me to," Anya replied with a shrug. "I've just been wondering around for the past couple hours." Vi gave her a look but didn't say anything on the matter. Instead, she simply smiled and tugged on Anya's arm, leading her to the next shop.

The two witches spent the next half hour rifling through the different sales racks in Gladrags Wizardwear shop, trying on different items and laughing at how ridiculous some of the things looked on them. In the end, they both finally did buy something: a gauzy black scarf with gold stars and moons for Vi and a special pair of socks that kept one's feet warm at all time for Anya.

Just as they were passing by the Three Broomsticks, a small pub and inn, Anya felt someone collide with her shoulder. But when she turned to see who had just been so rude, she saw no one. And as she looked on, a small group of carollers were knocked over by some unseen force.

"Harry," Anya whispered as she watched the bodiless footsteps in the snow make thier way to the woods, the familiar figures of her other two friends running after him. She turned back to Vi. "Um... listen- sorry to dash off like this, but I just remember I need to do something. I'll see you later!" And with that, she ran after Hermione and Ron.

When she finally found them, it seemed as though all the happiness of the day just vanished. Hermione and Ron stood near the tree line and judging by the tracks that stopped there, Harry sat on a tree stump on the middle of the clearing. Anya could hear him choking on his tears.

Ignoring the others, Anya slowly made her way towards her dark haired friend, dropping to her knees in front of him when she was close enough. She raised a shaky hand, grasping at the Invisibility Cloak that had once belonged to Harry's father and pulled it off, revealing Harry's tear-stained, furious face.

"Harry, what happened?" It took a lot to upset Harry like this.

Harry sniffled. "He-he was their friend... and he betrayed them. He was their friend!" Anya almost jumped back when he shouted. "Sirius Black betrayed my parents!

"I hope he finds me. 'Cause when he does, I'm gonna be ready- when he does, I'm gonna kill him!"

Anya gasped. _'This cannot end well.'_

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><p><strong><em>AC: Hope you all liked the new chapter. We'll try to get back to our regular schedule of posting every Sunday. *turns to dancing author* Nancy, are you finished yet?<em>**

**_MMM: *mega-watt grin* Yup! Thanks again guys! Bye! Don't forget to review!_**

**_Nancy (aka megamatchmaker)  
><em>**


	28. Year 3 Ch7

_**MMM: Well, it's that time of the week again! Another chapter! Also, I'd just like to say Happy Easter it everyone. Hope you're all enjoying the long weekend. Don't party too much! ;)**_

_**Disclaimer: J.K. rowling... blah, blah, blah... my own creation... blah, blah, blah... You know the whole deal. Unfortunately, nothing's changed and isn't going to anytime soon. :(**_

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><p><strong>Ch. 28 Patronus Class and Bad News<strong>

"If I see another flobberworm again, it'll be too soon!" Ron huffed as he and the rest of the Golden Quartet made their way back to the castle after Care of Magical Creatures class. Ever since the provoked attack from Buckbeak, Hagrid had taken to studying the harmless of creatures; the past semester had been spent raising the ten inch, brown worms. Not that there was much to do with them for all the flobberworms wanted to do was eat lettuce and slither around.

"Yeah, no kidding," Hermione grimaced, watching as Anya wiped the remaining slime and mucus from her hands. It seemed that the little creatures had taken an interest in the green friendship bracelet she received from Vi seeing as they had repeatedly tried to eat it. "Disgusting."

But Anya wasn't really paying attention to the conversation. Her mind was too preoccupied with other things... Like what would she do if Harry eventually _did_ run into Sirius Black? She couldn't just let him kill the man who betrayed his parents- that would make him no different from the escaped criminal. And what of Buckbeak and Hagrid? The final hearing on the case was only days away. Anya prayed that the jury would clear Hagrid of the charges, but she knew it would probably be in vain.

But what was constantly finding its way back in Anya's head was Draco Malfoy. Here was a pureblood Slytherin who treated anyone and everyone who wasn't like him as if they were a common cockroach. So why had he been so nice to her- a Gryffindor 'mudblood' no less- that day in Hogsmeade? And why did she find herself smiling every time she thought of it?

_'I must be overtired,'_ Anya thought as she followed her friends into the castle for lunch. _'That can be the only explanation. I've been working too hard and dealing with too much stress and now I'm paying for it with going crazy!'_

"Harry! Anya!" The group of teens turned to see Professor Lupin walking towards them. Anya had to stop herself from gasping.

The poor man looked terrible! His skin was almost ash white, making the dark circles around his eyes even darker than they really were. And Anya could make out scratches and cuts on the exposed skin of his hands and neck. It looked as though he had been attacked by an animal of some sort, barely making it out with his life.

When the professor realized that Anya had seen the angry red marks, he adjusted his robes to cover them and the auburn haired teen turned her gaze away with guilt. Whether the others noticed the marks or not, Anya wasn't sure.

"I was wondering if I could have a word with you two," the older wizard addressed them. The two nodded and told their friends they'd meet up with them in a minute before they followed Professor Lupin up to his office.

"Harry... before the holidays, you asked me about how to repel dementors, did you not?" The teacher waited until Harry nodded in reply before turning to Anya. "And from what I have seen and heard, it would seem that the dementors have as strong of an effect on you Anya as they do Harry. Is this true?" Anya nodded in reply as well.

"Well I would like to offer my aid in teaching you two how to defend yourselves against the dementors. How does Saturday afternoon every other week sound to you?"

"That would be spectacular," Harry said. "Thank you very much Professor."

"Very well. We'll start this week."

,:~:,

So when Satuday came around, Anya and Harry were back up in Professor Lupin's office. While the defense professor began the lesson with Harry, Anya sat on the steps, twirling her pale ash wood wand between her fingers. She watched as the professor levitated a large trunk down the steps and began to instruct Harry on what to do.

"...Allow the memory to fill you up and then speak the incantation _Expecto Patronum,_" Professor Lupin said. Anya wondered what happy memory Harry used. "Anya, would you please step back here?" She got up and went over to stand behind the trunk. "Are you ready?" Once Harry nodded, he opened the trunk and a dementor came flying out.

"_Expecto Patronum,_" Harry exclaimed with his wand pointing at the creature, but nothing seemed to happen. He tried again and again as the creature came closer until he collapsed.

"Harry!" Anya exclaimed and dodging under the defense professor's arm, she lunged towards her fallen friend. She glared up at the dementor but her eyesight soon changed and she once again saw the frightening image of the basilisk's form. Then it all went black.

"... come on then, up you get!" Anya slowly came to as she was being helped up into a sitting position on the steps. "Here, eat this- it helps." A large chunk of chocolate was handed to her. She noticed that the dementor was gone and that the trunk was once again closed shut.

"That was one nasty dementor," Harry commented as he wobbled into a standing position. "You alright, Anya?" She nodded her head.

"That wasn't a dementor though, Harry, but a boggart. The real thing would have been worse- much, much worse," Professor Lupin replied, relighting the spinal cord-shaped candles around the room.

"But if it was a boggart, why didn't it change forms when I stepped in front of it?" Anya asked.

"I placed a charm on it so that we could practice. And out of curiousity Harry, what memory did you choose?"

"The first time I'd ever ridden a broom," Harry replied and Anya couldn't help but raise her eyebrow at that. Not that she could argue for she remebered the joy and freedom that flying gave her, but she doubted that this was a good choice. Apparently, Professor Lupin agreed.

"There is another though. But I can't really explain it," Harry continued.

"Is it strong?" Lupin asked. He watched as the young teen nodded. "Alright then. We can give it a try. You feel ready?" Again, Harry nodded. "Alright. Anya? If you please? And this time, stay here," he joked and Anya laughed. Once she was safely back behind the trunk, he opened it again and the boggart/dementor came out once more.

"_Expecto Patronum!_" Anya gasped at how powerful the command sounded from Harry's lips and at the same time she was amazed at the silvery wisp of smoke that appeared, making a shield around the creature. She saw how it tried to break through the spell, but it pulled its rotting hands away each time as if the wisp burned it.

"Well done Harry! Well done!" Professor Lupin congratulated Harry once he forced the 'dementor' back into the trunk and slammed it shut.

"That was great Harry! I'm so proud of you!" Anya cheered as she rushed over to her friend and hugged him.

"You would have given your father a run for his money Harry and _that_ is saying something," Professor Lupin commented as the three sat down on the steps once again. He handed them each another piece of chocolate before taking a bite out of one of his own.

"I was thinking of him... and Mum. Seeing their faces... they were talking to me- just talking. That's the memory that I chose," Harry said. "I'm not even sure if it's a real memory- but it's the best I have."

"They would be so proud of you right now Harry," Anya grinned at her friend. "Magic like this is really advanced stuff and you just mastered it like a pro!"

"Anya's right Harry- on both points, for that matter. Your parents would be very proud of how their son has grown up," Professor Lupin grinned. Then he turned to Anya. "You ready for your turn?"

"Sure am, Professor! And I've got the perfect memory!" Anya smiled, the determination fierce in her eyes.

"What's that?" Harry asked.

"The day that I got my letter to Hogwarts of course," Ana replied. "The day I got that is a reminder two of the best things in my life: my meeting and becoming friends with you, Hermione, and Ron, and finally feeling like I actually belonged somewhere for the first time in my life." She ducked her head. "I know it sounds as corny as something form a chick flick or a romance novel, but it's the truth."

Professor Lupin smiled. "That is a perfect memory Anya. Shall we?"

It took Anya only one try to perform the Patronus charm and she was surprised when she heard that it seemed even more powerful than Harry's. She was a little concerned that he might be discouraged by being beat by a girl, but he just laughed it off.

"Well, I think that's enough for today," the defense professor announced half an hour later. "It's been a long week and I'm sure you two would like some time to yourselves." The two teens nodded before giving their thanks and walked out the door. Just as they reached the grand staircase though, Anya stopped in her tracks.

"Oh shoot! I forgot my sweater back in Professor Lupin's office! Hang on a sec Harry! I'll be right back!" she exclaimed before darting back where she just came from.

When she arrived at the office, she timidly knocked on the door. "Come in," the professor's voice sounded from behind the wooden frame and Anya poked her head into the room. Professor Lupin held up the familiar scarlet red hoodie. "Forgot something, did you?"

"Yes sir... sorry about that."

"It's quite alright. No harm done here," he replied with a chuckle as he handed the sweater over. Anya chuckled lightly to herself before heading back out the door and she could have sworn that she knew the floral scent that seemed to come from the goblet on his desk.

,:~:,

The following weeks were relatively calm compared to the past couple of months. There was no news on the whereabouts of Sirius Black and some even believed that he wouldn't return.

_'Maybe things will actually be alright now,'_ Anya found herself thinking at the beginning of April. _'Oh please, PLEASE! Let something go right for once.'_

But it seemed that fate had other plans in store for the Golden Quartet.

The first bit of bad news came around right after breakfast, when the four friends decided to go for a nice walk. Well... some of them, anyway. Ron and Hermione were once again having another argument. It seemed that Scabbers, Ron's pet rat, had vanished and he immediately accused Hermione's cat Crookshanks.

"You two've seen how that blood-thirsty beast of hers is always moving about," Ron addressed Harry and Anya as they made their way down to Hagrid's hut. "And Scabbers is gone!"

"Honestly Ron, I'm staying out of this one," Anya stated, holding her hands up in surrender to emphasize her point. "The last thing I want to do today is get stuck in the middle of an argument between you two. It never ends well."

"Same here, mate. You're on your own," Harry added. Ron groaned in distress as they continued to go visit their friend. When they arrived, they found Hagrid standing near the lake, skipping stones as big as Anya's face. Once she saw Buckbeak who was chained to a nearby tree, Anya went over to the creature and calmly stroked his beak.

"How did it go Hagrid? The hearing?" Hermione asked him.

Hagrid began to talk about how Lucius Malfoy told the council lies about how Buckbeak was a 'dangerous creature that would kill you as soon as he looked at you' and how he had 'attacked two innocent students without cause'. Anya felt her stomach twist into knots with each passing second. How could she have become so blind to Draco's intentions. He had only been nice to her because of the trial.

"And then he asked for the worse, he did ol' Lucius," Hagrid finished.

"Don't tell us that they're sacking you!" Ron exclaimed. Anya looked back at the half-giant who was shaking his head. She could see the beginning of tears in his eyes and she knew that whatever his answer was, it was not good.

"No, I'm not sacked... but Buckbeak's been sentenced to death!" Hagrid wailed, throwing a stone into the water as he cried. The girls gasped in shock and began to sob and the boys hung their heads in sorrow. They knew that nothing could be done to change the hippogriff's fate.

,:~:,

"Hey Anya." The auburn haired teen looked up from her feet just as Vi sat down beside her. "I heard about Buckbeak. I'm so sorry."

Anya smiled at her friend's concern before she felt her anger towards a certain blonde wizard come charging back at her. "You have nothing to be sorry for... it's all Malfoy's fault. I wish I could hex him into oblivion!"

Just then, the door to the classroom opened and in walked Draco Malfoy himself. His grey eyes searched the room and when they found Anya, they softened in apology. Anya's eyes only hardened as she glared at the wizard with a look that could kill. When he opened his mouth to speak, she quickly cut him off. "Fuck off, Malfoy!" Anya hissed, ignoring the look she recieved from Professor Flitwick. "You can take whatever apology you've got saved and shove it up your ass!" Then without another glance at the blonde, she grabbed her bag and walked out of the club meeting, making sure to hit him hard with the heavy text-filled bag as she passed.

"Wait up Anya!" Vi called after her friend. She turned to glare at Draco but she felt her heart ache when she saw the tortured look in his eyes. "I hope you've got a good apology ready, 'cause it looks like you'll be needing it." Then she walked out the door after Anya who was already at the other end of the hall. "Anya! Slow down!" Vi yelled and surprisingly, Anya did. When she finally caught up to her, Vi could see just how close Anya was to blowing a fuse.

"Sorry Vi... he just makes me so pissed off!" Anya exclaimed, slamming her fist into the closest wall. Luckily, it had a large thick tapestry hanging there so the blow wasn't too painful on Anya's hand. "I can't believe that I actually fell for that nice guy routine he played on me! How thick can I possibly get?"

"What are you going on about? What 'nice guy routine'?" Vi asked.

Anya took a deep breath to calm her nerves before she told her Irish friend about her first trip to Hogsmeade village and how Draco had been so nice to her and treated her like an equal. Now as she thought back on it all, Anya cursed herself for how blind she had been to it all. She spent so much time thinking that maybe there was a kinder, more compassionate side to the pureblood heir than he let on to his peers, but it had all just been smoke and mirrors.

"Anya, I may be out of line for saying this... but don't you think you're being too hard on the bloke?" Vi asked. She soon regretted it though when she saw the furious and shocked look on her friend's face.

"'Too hard on the bloke'? Are you kidding me?" Vi had to cover her ears at the decibel Anya's voice reached- one that could almost shatter glass. "Vi, we're talking about a guy that pretty much is the biggest asshole the world has ever seen! He didn't listen to the precautions he was told and then he went and blamed it on Hagrid and Buckbeak, he treats anyone that has even an _ounce_ of muggle blood like they're a cockroach, and let's not forget that he lies and manipulates anyone and everyone to get what he wants. If I had it my way, I'd probably pull a '_Halloween'_ and go all Michael Myers on his ass!"

"I just think that maybe you should hear his side of the story before-"

"I don't _want_ to hear his side of the story! Hell, I don't want to hear _anything_ he has to say! I loath him to the very core of my being! If Draco Malfoy would drop dead this very second, I would plan the biggest party, have it on his grave, and dance the night away!" Anya was quick to say. She didn't care how harsh it sounded, for what he had done was far from for forgivable. At one point, she had almost been ready to forget about the terrible names he had called her friends, but those thoughts quickly vanished after today.

Anya huffed in anger, adjusting the strap of her bag higher on her shoulder. "Now if you'll excuse me, I've got some homework to finish up. I'm heading to the library." And with that, she walked off.

Vi sighed sadly before turning around and heading towards the paneglass window that was close by. Sliding around the shiny suit of armor into the space behind it, she found Draco slumped against the wall, his knees brought up to his chest and his face buried into his arms. She heard the choked sobs that racked his body and she never felt so sorry for anyone as she did then for him.

Vi knew that there were no words that could be said to lessen the blow of Anya's words, so she did the best thing she could for the Slytherin teen: she cast a silencing charm on the area behind the suit of armor and slid down beside him, allowing him to cry into her shoulder.

"She hates me..." Draco whimpered.

* * *

><p><em><strong>VS: Poor Draco! *turns to author and Anya* How could you two be so mean?<strong>_

_**AC: He deserved it! He's the one who got Buckbeak sentenced to death!**_

_**VS: And what's your excuse?**_

_**MMM: I'm the writer. Besides, things will turn out alright in the end. You'll see.**_

_**Anyway, that's all for this week! See you next time! Don't forget to review!**_

_**Nancy (aka megamatchmaker)  
><strong>_


	29. Year 3 Ch8

_**MMM: OK, so I'd like to take this moment to say I'm sorry to those that thought I made Anya seem very harsh at the end of the last chapter. I know it was over the top and that Draco really didn't deserve that, but trust me! It's very vital to the story! And for those who wrote reviews that were practically SINGING my praises, I have to say that I was stunned by it all.**_

_**AC: I guess I shoould apologize myself... but I don't think I will.**_

_**DM: What do you mean you won't?**_

_**AC: What I said. I'm not apologizing.**_

_**MMM: Knock it off you two! Time to get to work. And places please! Action!**_

_**Disclaimer: Don't own Harry Potter.**_

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><p><strong>Ch. 29 Sirius Black<strong>

It was safe to say that Anya was shocked about what was going on lately. For not only was Draco Malfoy going around school in a depressed state, but it seemed that wherever he went Vi was right beside him. Anya had tried to ask her friend exactly what was going on between the two, but every time Vi would brush it off and flat-out ignore her.

"You don't think that she might... _like_ Malfoy, do you?" Ron asked one morning at breakfast. Anya looked away from her redheaded friend to look at the Slytherin table where Draco and Vi were sitting. She watched as Draco pushed his eggs around on his plate, not even listening to whatever it was that Vi was telling him. When the dark haired witch saw her looking at them, she glared at Anya and Anya almost cringed away from the look.

_'Is Ron right? Does Vi like Malfoy that way?'_ Anya thought looking down at her plate of french toast, her stomach becoming unsettled at the thought. She shook her head. _'Oh, what do I care? If she thinks he's _so_ great, then she can have him!'_ But it didn't take away from the loss of a friend. And the terrible ache of them dating twisted her insides.

"Anya? Are you alright?" Hermione asked the auburn haired witch, waving her hand in front of her face to get her attention.

Anya's head snapped back up and she answered with a forced grin. "I'm fine. Just got a little too much on my mind." As if to show nothing was wrong, she took a large bite of the french toast and munched away without a care in the world. Hermione didn't seem completely convinced, but she didn't say anything else.

"You know what? I think I'm gonna go get some fresh air," Anya announced suddenly. "I'll see you guys later." And before her friends could say anything, she grabbed her short sleeved denim jacket and dashed out of the Great Hall.

,:~:,

"Thought I might find yer here." Anya looked up from her spot on the ground to see Hagrid's large frame towering over her. "He really likes havin' yeh around," he added, nodding his head to the hippogriff beside her.

Anya gave a forced smile as she stroked Buckbeak's feathered head slowly. The creature in question was peacefully sleeping amongst the pumpkins in Hagrid's garden, unaware that his life was only moments away from ending. "I just wanted to make it a little bit better for him- take away some of the tension. He's like a little kid... he doesn't deserve this," she sniffled, wiping at her eyes as tears slowly fell. Anya looked back up at Hagrid. "I'm so sorry Hagrid."

"Don't be. It wasn't yer fault," Hagrid replied. Anya could see the tears glistening in his eyes. "At least he's happy right now. That's what matters."

"And that you've got friends here for you Hagrid." The two looked to see the rest of the Golden Quartet decending down the slope towards them. "We're here for you," Harry said.

"Thank yeh Harry," Hagrid said through a watery smile. "Come on in... I'll make some tea."

Anya got up from beside Buckbeak, careful not to wake him, and followed the others into the little hut. She looked over at Hermione and saw the other girl clenching and unclenching her right hand. "Are you ok, Hermione?" she asked the brunette.

"Yes... I just punched Malfoy in the face is all," Hermione replied.

Anya grinned. "I'm impressed. Looks my usual 'hit-now-and-ask-questions-later' rep is starting to rub off on you. Before you know it, you'll be swearing like a true Yankee."

Hermione laughed. "Please snap me out of it before it goes that far. Besides," she flexed her hand again, "that really hurt."

"Well how did you punch him?" Anya asked. She watched as the brunette did the motion and shook her head. "No wonder your hand hurts. You don't curl your fingers around your thumb- that's pretty much _asking _to get hurt." She clenched her hand into a proper fist. "See? You wrap your thumb along the second row of joints on your fingers. And you extend from the shoulder through the arm for more power."

The afternoon passed by far too quickly and Buckbeak's time was drawing to a close. More than once, Harry had suggested to set Buckbeak free, but Hagrid said that he didn't want to get Professor Dumbledore into trouble. And when they offered to stay with Hagrid, he refused.

"You think I want yeh ter see something like that?" he asked. "No... you'll just drink yeh tea and be off. Oh, but before yeh do- Ron..." He walked over to the table and opened a jar. Anya could hear squeaking and when he turned around, she saw a very pale rat. Or was that flour?

"Scabbers! You're alive!" Ron exclaimed, going to take the rat from Hagrid.

"I guess that means you owe someone an apology," Hermione said, pushing away from the wall.

Ron's ears went pink. "Right... next time I see Crookshanks, I'll let him know!" Anya had to stop herself from slapping her hand to her forehead. _'That boy can be so thick sometimes!'_

"I meant me!" Hermione snapped. Just as she said that, a vase smashed open on the table right beside Anya. She flinched as a shard cut across the back of her right hand but she ignored it when she picked up a small stone that reminded her of a snail's shell.

"Ouch!" Harry exclaimed when something hit the back of his head from outside. He turned around and whatever he saw wasn't good. "Hagrid!" The half-giant rushed over to the window and looked out.

"Oh dear..." he muttered before he backed away from the window, clearing the table of the four mugs of tea. Anya went over to the window and saw Professor Dumbledore, the Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge, and the executioner slowly making their way down the slope.

"Shit!" Anya hissed under her breath when she saw the headmaster look towards the hut, grabbing Harry by his sleeve and yanking him away from the window. She only prayed that he hadn't seen them. If they got caught when it was nearly dark out- even to support a friend during a difficult hour- they would be in serious trouble.

"What are we going to do?" Ron asked, clutching Scabbers close to his chest.

"Go out the back door," Hagrid instructed them. "And be careful! If yeh get caught, ye'll be in big trouble- particularly yeh Harry!" he pointed to the dark haired wizard as if to emphasize his point.

"Hagrid... everything will be fine, I promise," Anya tried to console the half-giant before she slipped out the back door after her friends, shutting it close just as the front door was opened.

"Come on!" Harry whispered, bekoning the others to hide behind some of the large pumpkins in the garden. Anya poked her head around one to see at the window and she listened as Cornelius Fudge read from a scroll.

"...shall be henceforth executed come sundown." It was even harder for Anya to hear the words being said out loud. She had to stop herself from shouting out in anger.

"What is it?" Anya looked away from the window over at Harry. He and Hermione were staring at the row of trees behind them. Anya looked and she could have sworn she saw something _pink_ behind one of the trees. And the one right beside it- something _blue_.

"I thought I just saw..." Hermione began, only to trail off. "Never mind. It's probably my imagination."

"Come on. We gotta go!" Anya whispered and they slipped out of their hiding place and ran up the hill. She looked back at the hut once more and she saw that Buckbeak was awake and she could see the sadness in his yellow eyes. "Goodbye," she whispered with tears in her eyes before she dashed after the others.

It seemed to take forever to reach the top of the hill. Maybe it was the power needed to run up the uneven terrain, or maybe the pain she knew this execution would bring, but Anya felt like she couldn't breathe. All the Golden Quartet could do was stand there and watch. Even though they couldn't see around the trees, Anya still turned away as the axe came down. Hermione buried her face in Ron's shoulder and Anya hugged Harry as she cried.

"Ah!" Anya looked up when Ron gasped in pain. He was clutching at his hand which had a small trickle of blood oozing from his finger. "He bit me! Scabbers!" The redhead ran off after the rat.

,:~:,

_'How the hell do we keep getting caught up in this shit?'_ Anya thought as she barely managed to avoid the dangerous branches of the Whomping Willow once again.

Anya, Harry, and Hermione had all rushed off after Ron who was trying to catch Scabbers before it became too dark and he lost him again. When they finally found Ron, he was scolding the rat, completely unaware that he was standing right in front of the most deadly tree with a five mile radius of the school grounds.

"Ron, you idiot! Get out of there!" Anya shouted from a safe distance as she saw the tree begin to wake up.

Ron looked up and his face became far paler than normal. He raised a shaky finger and pointed directly behind her and the others. "Anya, Harry, Hermione- run! It's the Grim!"

The three turned around to see said black dog right behind them. It let out a menacing growl before launching itself into the air... _over_ them and towards Ron where it bit into his leg and dragged him closer to the tree, soon disappearing in the trunk along with the redhead.

Now Anya, Harry, and Hermione had trying to get around the flailing limbs of the Whomping Willow to the opening in its trunk.

"How the hell are we gonna get pass that thing?" Anya huffed as she pushed herself up from the ground. The tree had just thrown them all back and Anya fell hard on a rock. Her shoulder ached but it didn't seem like anything was broken. She looked over at Harry and Hermione to see that his glasses were once again broken and that Hermione's cheek had been cut open.

"We've got to keep trying! We can't leave Ron!" Harry yelled before making another attempt. Hermione looked at Anya for a second before following with Anya right on her tail. When the tree made a swipe at them with one of its many branches, Anya ducked. When a swinging vine came through, she jumped over that only to be hit full on by another.

Thinking quickly, she grabbed onto the vine and held on tight as it pulled her high into the air. Small twigs and branches scratched at her face when the vine pulled her through the rougher parts, but she stayed on even as it swung around and kept her mouth clenched shut to avoid screaming like an idiot. But when the ground started coming at her head fast, she couldn't stop herself from letting out a screech. Anya shut her eyes tight as she awaited the impending doom when her skull would be cracked open like an egg.

And then suddenly, everything just stopped. Anya chanced cracking one eye open as she saw that the ground was so close that the grass almost brushed her nose. She let out a small yip when she lost her grip on the vine and Anya rolled off, landing lightly on her back.

"Anya! Are you alright?" Harry asked the auburn haired witch as he helped her up.

"Yeah- ouch... I think so," she replied. She felt as if she had just gone through a meat grinder; every muscle and bone ached. The long sleeves of her black and blue striped shirt were ripped away and the exposed skin was covered in little cuts. She looked up at the Whomping Willow. "Why did it stop?"

"Crookshanks," Harry answered, pointing to the trunk of the tree. Sure enough, Anya looked just in time to see the orange cat slip into the hole. "Come on!"

,:~:,

The hole in the Whomping Willow's trunk seemed to be the entrance to a tunnel of some sort. It was dark and the only source of illumination was the soft glow from Crookshanks' tail.

"Hermione, you've got yourself one cool kitty-cat," Anya commented as they followed the cat through the tunnel. She shuddered at the crampness the area gave but she swallowed her fears. Her phobias could take the back burner right now- her friend was in danger.

"Girls... look," Harry said, pointing to the ground and Anya had to bite her tongue to keep from screaming.

The floor was almost completely covered with bloody smears and paw prints. It looked like Ron had put up one hell of a fight as he was being dragged to whatever unknown location they were heading to. But what happened to him? And why would the dog want him? Was he to be used as bait for Harry?

"Look!" Hermione whispered as the tunnel slowly got lighter. Anya could make out a small ladder that led upwards at the end and there was some opening directly above it. But where did it lead to?

The three friends slowly removed their wands from their pockets and climbed up the ladder. Hermione ordered the ginger cat to stay put and he seemed to do so quietly. When they emerged, they found themselves in a very creepy, worn-down building. "This is the Shrieking Shack, isn't it?" Anya asked, already knowing the answer.

That's when they all heard it: a groan from the floor directly above them. Harry wasted no time to dash up the rickety stairs, taking them two at a time with the girls on his heels. As they reached the second landing, Anya's hand shot out and grabbed onto Harry's sleeve before he burst through the door.

"Wait!" she hissed. When he turned to look at her, she pressed a finger to her lips and slowly extracted a compact mirror from her pocket and carefully held her hand out into the room. Peeking into the cracked glass, she found the coast to be clear and motioned for the other two to follow her.

"Ron!" Anya whispered when she saw him sitting on a broken couch. Other than his right leg, which was bloody and had a large bite mark, he seemed fine. "Are you ok?" She knelt down beside him, stuffing her wand into her back pocket while ripping a remaining scrap of her sleeve off and pressing it to his leg to stop the blood.

"The dog Ron, where is it?" Harry asked not even trying to keep his voice down. Anya glared at him and hissed to lover his voice. If the dog _was_ still here, the last thing they needed was for it to find them before they escaped.

"Harry, it's a trick! The dog's there! But it's not a dog- he's an animagus!" the redhead replied, pointing directly behind them, clutching a squirming Scabbers in his other hand.

The three newcomers slowly turned around, staring at the floor as the trail of bloody paw prints changed into human footprints. The door they just came through closed and standing behind it, his pale, waxy skin seeming to be stretched over his bones and greasy black hair hanging in front of his eyes that seemed to hang in the middle of deep and dark sockets, was none other than Sirius Black.

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><p><em><strong>MMM: Tha's it for today. Bye guys! Read and review!<strong>_

_**Nancy (aka megamatchmaker)  
><strong>_


	30. Year 3 Ch9

**_MMM: H_e_y you guys! So here's the next chapter. I would just like to apologize to Drkness'sDaughter first. Sorry Vi! I know I was suppose to give you your beta reader sneak peak, but I was just so out of it this past week that I kind of forgot. Really sorry! Promise I'll make it up to you!_****  
><strong>

**_AC: Don't take it personally, Vi. Nancy's just wacko, but that's not really news.  
><em>**

**_MMM: Anya!  
><em>**

**_AC: What? It's true! Anyway, Nancy doesn't own Harry Potter or anything like that. Gotta run! *runs from author*  
><em>**

**_MMM: *sighs* Well... you heard the lady. Let's get this show on the road._**

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><p><strong>Ch. 30 You?<strong>

"Oh my God," Anya whispered. The last thing she ever expected was to come face to face with a mass murderer.

_ 'Ok Anya- pros and cons. Now would be a REALLY good time to use them! Let's see... I'm armed; he's not. I've got three others on my team with me; he's on his own. I'm a thirteen-year-old witch with more knowledge of spells than anyone in my year; he's a total psychopath who could probably kill me with a spoon! Odds are we are in serious trouble!'_

Hermione stepped in front of Harry, as if doing so would actually shield him from the crazed wizard's gaze. "If you want to kill Harry, you'll have to kill us too!" she yelled.

"No." Anya shivered with fear at the raspy voice that passed through Sirius Black's lips. "Only one will die tonight!" He grinned, showing two rows of yellowed teeth. His blue-grey eyes were gleaming with his twisted happiness.

"Then it'll be you!" Harry shouted and pushing Hermione out of harm's way, he lunged for the escaped criminal. His hands wrapped around Black's thin neck. But even though the man was practically nothing but bones, he seemed stronger than Harry anticipated.

Anya yanked Hermione's arm and placed her hand over the cloth on Ron's leg. "Keep that there," she instructed before jumping over to her friend's aid. Just as Black pushed Harry away from himself, Anya crouched down, balancing her weight on her hands and right foot as her left came out and kicked Black's feet out from underneath him. Jumping back up, she pressed her foot against his neck.

"Lily? Is that you?" Anya looked at the older wizard strangely. 'Lily'? What was he talking about? Could he have been so crazed that he actually thought that she was Harry's mother? But he looked so sad, as if he truly believed that she was the witch he had once befriended and betrayed so it seemed he did.

_The guy has seriously flipped! I don't look a thing like Mrs. Potter! My eyes don't even look close to being green like hers!'_ Any thought.

She cast a quick glance over her shoulder. "You alright there, Harry?"

"I will be," he growled, coming up beside her and pointing his wand at Black's face.

"Don't kill him Harry," Anya said. "Don't stoop down to his level."

"Anya, this is the man that betrayed my parents! _He's_ the reason why I grew up without a mum and dad!" the dark haired teen accused.

"If you kill him Harry James Potter, you'll be no better than he is," Anya pointed out.

Suddenly, the door to the room burst open again and Professor Lupin came in. When he saw the two students huddled in one corner of the room and the other two standing over the escaped murderer, he reacted.

With a shout of "_Expelliamus!_", Harry found his wand in the defense professor's hand. Lupin nodded his head towards Hermione and Ron and the two other teens backed away to stand beside them. "Well Sirius... looking rather ragged, aren't we? Finally the flesh reflects the madness within."

Black laughed. "Well you would know all about that, now wouldn't you Remus?"

What happened next shocked the Golden Quartet. Lupin lowered his wand and reached out a helping hand to Black. Then they embraced like brothers.

"What the hell?" Anya exclaimed, gaining the attention of the two older wizards. "You mean this whole time while we placed our faith and trust in you, you were helping _him_? How could you?"

"Anya, this isn't what you think..." Lupin began but Anya would have none of it.

"No! I thought you could be trusted! I looked up to you!" She gestured between Hermione and herself. "We kept your secret for you! The full moon boggart! That potion you're always gulping down! How you're always missing from school around the same time each month!"

"He's a werewolf! That was why he was missing classes!" Hermione finished.

Lupin looked at the two girls in surprise. "How long exactly have you known?"

Anya took a step back as he took one forward, her anger quickly replaced with fear. "Back in October- when Professor Snape gave us that essay on werewolves and animagi."

"Oh, come off it Remus! Let's kill him!" Black shouted, pacing around the room like the mad man he was. Anya shrank back into Harry who wrapped a protective arm around her. "I waited far too long for this! Twelve years in Azkaban prison!"

Lupin looked back and forth between his students and his 'friend'. With a sigh, he handed his wand over to Black. "Very well... But wait one more minute- Harry has the right to know why!"

"I know why!" Harry shouted. "He betrayed my parents!" He turned to the psychopath. "You're the reason that they're dead!"

"No Harry, it was someone else that betrayed them! Someone who I once believed to be dead!" Lupin shot back.

"Who the hell do you expect to fool with _that _excuse?" Anya yelled. "'Someone you believed to be dead'? Oh please! That's the shittiest excuse I've ever heard!" If she was going to die here, she wanted to at least die with honor. "Who was it then?"

"Peter Pettigrew!" Black announced. He made a sweeping gesture with his arms in a mock bow. "And he's in this room! Right now! Come out Peter! Time to come out and play!"

"_Expelliamus!_" Anya had never been so pleased to hear that voice than that very moment. She almost sighed with relief as Professor Snape came striding into the room, catching the wands he just disarmed Black and Lupin of.

"Oh... vengeance truly is the sweetest thing," Snape smirked. "How I'd hoped I'd be the one to catch you!" He threatened Lupin before he could get too close. "I told Dumbledore that you were letting an 'old friend' into the castle and now I have all the proof I need!"

"Of course Severus... as usual, you put your mind to the task and come to the end with the wrong conclusion!" Black mocked whilst he paid no attention to the threatening end of the sliver of wood in Snape's hand.

"Severus?" Ron mouthed and Anya couldn't help but laugh. What kind of parent names their kid 'Severus'?

Snape dug the tip of the wand into Black's boney chest. "Perhaps I should just do you in myself. But why deny the dementors? After all, they are so longing to see you." The laughter in Black's eyes quickly faded into fear. "Oh yes, the dementor's kiss- it's been said to be unbearable to witness... but I'll be sure to do my best! After you!" He jerked his head towards the door.

Harry slowly stepped forward, a pale wand clenched in his hand. Anya patted her back pocket only to realize that he must have slipped it off her person without her notice. He pointed it at Black but just as Snape made to step back, he turned on the potions master. A great _boom!_ shook the small shack and Snape went flying into the wall behind him, knocked out cold.

,:~:,

"Harry, have you gone crazy?"

"What did you just do?"

"You attacked a teacher!"

But the dark haired teen paid no attention to his friends. He kept his gaze on the other wizards before him. "Tell me about Pettigrew!"

"He went to school with us! We thought he was our friend!" Lupin began.

"But Pettigrew's dead! You killed him!" Harry pointed to Black.

"I thought so too until you mentioned seeing his name on the map!" Lupin jumped in front of the other man.

"The map? As in the Marauder's map?" Anya asked. Harry had told her about the magical parchment the Weasley twins had given him. "That's impossible. It had to of been wrong."

"The map is never wrong, my dear," Black replied. "It never lies."

"And how would you know?" Harry sneered.

"Because I was one of the Marauders that _made _it! We both were!" Black gestured between him and Lupin. "I was Padfoot and Remus was Moony! Pettigrew and James were the other two! We made sure that map would always be right!

"Pettigrew _is_ alive! And he's right there!" Black finished, pointing at Ron.

"Me? He's completely mental, he is!" Ron yelled.

"Not you! Your rat! You've have him for twelve years, haven't you? That's a curiously long lifetime for a common garden rat! He's missing a toe, isn't he?"

"All they could find of Pettigrew was his..." Harry began to say only to be cut off by Black again.

"Finger! The dirty coward cut it off so everyone would think he was dead! Then he transformed into a rat! He just never expected to stay as one for so long, am I right Peter?" Black shouted.

"Show us," Harry demanded.

Black sighed before he grabbed Scabbers out from Ron's hands. Ignoring the cries of the redhead, Black and Lupin picked up two of the wands from the ground and walked over to the broken down paino by the window. He dropped the rat onto the keys and shot a spell at it but the creature darted around, avoiding the spells that were being fired its way. It scurried off the piano and just as it was about to slip out of a crack by the door, Anya snatched him up and tossed him in the air. With no where to run, the rat was immobilized and Lupin had the perfect chance.

The body that hit the ground was not that of a rat... per se. The stubby excuse of a man did possess features that were very much like a rat's: a rat-like face with a pointed nose, crooked, oversized front teeth, whiskers. The remaining hair that sat on his head was very thin and colorless and the raggy clothes that he was wearing were frayed and disgustingly dirty. And exactly as Black had said, the index finger on his right hand was missing.

"So this is Peter Pettigrew," Anya whispered, watching as the man looked around for his escape route. "Not much to look at," she sneered.

His small watery eyes looked up and when he saw the two wizards holding him at point, he squeaked. "Remus... Sirius! My old friends!" He tried to dash around them, but they pushed him away from the door before he could move two steps. Pettigrew looked around and when he saw Harry, he stepped towards him. "Harry! Look at you! You look so like your father- we had been the best of friends-"

"How dare you speak to Harry about his father when you were the one to betray James and Lily to Voldemort?" Black hissed. Anya took the second to pull Harry behind her, picked up her wand which was still sitting on the dusty floors, and pointed it at Pettigrew.

Pettigrew whimpered in fear. "I didn't mean too! What would you have done?"

"We would have sooner died before we betrayed our friends!" Lupin replied. "You should have realized Peter that if Voldemort didn't destroy you then we would! Together!"

,:~:,

But Black and Lupin didn't end Pettigrew's life. After some quick thinking on Harry's part, they had been convinced to bring Pettigrew to the castle where he would be handed over to the dementors. If Black had gone through with his threat, then the truth of the Potter's demise would have died with him.

And now the group was back outside of the castle grounds, waiting for Lupin to bring the cowering traitor through the tunnel. Snape was still out cold down in the shack and Hermione was busy attending to Ron whilst Anya watched on.

She looked to her side to see Harry watching Black as he simply gazed up at the school. She placed her hand on his shoulder. "You should go talk to him," she encouraged.

Harry seemed nervous. "Would you mind coming with me?" he asked. Anya looked back at the others who waved her off. Harry and Anya approached Black cautiously- Anya more so than Harry. She had been the one to take the guy down after all and she wasn't sure just how well he would take that.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Black voiced, looking up at the scenery before him. "It's been so long since I stepped through those doors. It'll be nice to do that again as a free man." He then turned to look at the two Gryffindors. "Well, perhaps I could know the name of the young lady who quite literally swept me off my feet?"

Anya felt her cheeks grow red and she held her hand out to him. "Anya Collins. And I'm really sorry about that Mr. Black."

He smiled. "Please call me Sirius. 'Mr. Black' makes me sound so old," he joked. "You're American, aren't you?"

"Yeah... why? Got a problem with Yankees?" she asked. Anya hated when people went by stereotypes- _all_ teenage girls talk and text for hours on cellphones, _all_ Italians are fans of soccer... stuff like that. It was annoying and she really hoped she could avoid it tonight.

Sirius held his hands up in surrender. "Not at all. I just find it a little strange that a young witch from America comes all the way to Europe for school."

Anya blushed and looked down at her sneakers, now seeing all the blood smears and dirt that marked the once white shoes. "I never knew about magic until I was eleven. I'm a muggleborn."

"There's nothing to be ashamed of Anya," Harry spoke up. "Being muggleborn is what makes you so great!"

Anya looked up at the dark haired teen- _has he always been that tall?_- and smiled. "Thanks Harry. You really are like the brother I never got to have."

The conversation was rather pleasant for the next few minutes. Sirius talked to Harry about his parents and how they had named him to be Harry's godfather. Sirius suggested that once he was a free man, maybe Harry would rather come live with him than his aunt and uncle. Harry of course jumped at the opportunity. If only it could have happened.

The three looked back towards the other when Hermione let out a shout and their gaze followed hers towards the mountains in the distance... where a _full moon_ was coming out from behind the clouds.

Harry and Anya raced back to their friends and helped Ron stand upright, watching in fear as Professor Lupin slowly began to transform into a werewolf. His eyes turned yellow and fur sprouted everywhere. His face contorted into a long snout, his jaw opening to reveal the two rows of deadly teeth. Claws took the place of hands, ears took on a pointier shape, and the raggy robes Lupin wore ripped away as his body grew taller and wider.

Sirius tried to talk to Lupin through whatever pain he was feeling, but he was thrown back with a powerful sweep of the other man's arm.

"Holy shit," Anya whispered as she stood fixed on the spot, unable to tear her gaze away from what was once the peaceful defense master. The werewolf stood there, hunched over, small pathetic whimpers escaping his muzzle. Anya watched as Hermione slowly stepped towards the man-wolf, ignoring the whispered protests from Ron- who was hanging onto Harry in order to stay upright- and only backed away when the creature howled into the air.

"There you are Potter!" Anya looked away from the werewolf and back at the Whomping Willow when Professor Snape came out from the tunnel opening, his black eyes glaring at Harry. But when he saw why the four Gryffindor students seemed so scared, he jumped in front of them, holding his arms out to shield them.

The wolf threw his arm, effectively knocking the potions master off his feet. He threw his arm again, catching the four students. Anya felt pain explode through her skull as her head smacked into the very same rock from earlier. Images began to blur and before she knew it, everything went dark.

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><p><em><strong>AC: If I pass out one more time...<br>**_

_**MMM: Well you can rest assured, the passing out is pretty much done now. There may be the random black out every once in a while, but the majority of it all is over with now.  
><strong>_

_**AC: Thank GOD!  
><strong>_

_**MMM: Anyway, that's it for today! don't forget to review! Yeah, that blue button just there with the speech bubble beside it! That's it!  
><strong>_

_**Nancy (aka megamatchmaker)  
><strong>_


	31. Year 3 Ch10

_**MMM: So I kind of goofed yesterday. Do you ever get that feeling that today isn't really today but tomorrow? Hmm... that sounds confusing. Ok- do you ever feel like a Saturday is a Sunday or some other day of the week? Well, don't me how or why but I thought YESTERDAY was Sunday and I didn't really realize it until after posting the last chapter. So I'm posting another chapter today to make up for my goof.**_

_**AC: How do you lose track of what day it is?  
><strong>_

_**MMM: Take time off from school for a while and you'd be mixing up your days too kiddo.  
><strong>_

_**AC: No I wouldn't.  
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_**MMM: Give it time. You will. Anyway, I really hope you like this chapter. And I'll warn you ahead of time, it will make you anxious for the next one.  
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_**Disclaimer: The world of Harry Potter is the creation from the imagination of J.K. Rowling. Anya Collins, her friends and family, and the odd character now and then are my creations.**_

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><p><strong>Ch. 31 You're kidding me?<strong>

"Ow-ie!" Anya grumbled, clutching at her head when she woke up. It was four days after the run in with Sirius Black, and she had been unconcious for two of those days. And boy, did she miss a lot!

According to the school, Sirius Black had been captured by the dementors after he 'cornered Harry and his friends and savagely attacked Professor Snape', eventually escaping from the Dark Tower of the castle. How he did so remained a mystery.

But Anya knew better than to listen to the rumors beig spread through the school. When she got the real story from Harry, he told her that he and Hermione had used her time turner to go back to when Buckbeak's execution took place, freed him, lured the werewolf Lupin away from their 'past' selves, sent a hundred dementors off with one patronus, and broke Sirius out of the tower all within a few hours.

And as for Pettigrew? Unfortunately, he had escaped as soon as Lupin's transformation had started, shrinking back into his furry rat self and scurried off into the night.

"You alright Anya?" The auburn haired teen looked over at her friend who was already dressed and prepared for another day. Hermione looked much better since she gave up the time-turner along with a few of her classes, and now she seemed well rested and more relaxed.

"Killer headache and a serious need to punch something," Anya waved it off.

Hermione shrugged. "Same as always then, huh?" she laughed, barely dodging the pillow that was thrown at her head. "I'll see you down in the Great Hall, alright?" Once Anya nodded- still clutching her head in pain- she left.

Anya sighed before pushing the blankets off her legs and sluggishly went about her morning routine. She slipped on her uniform along with some ballet flats, popped a couple asprin for her headache, grabbed her bag and headed downstairs.

"A bright and wonderful 'good morning' to you all!" Anya groaned as the sound of Professor Dumbledore's upbeat voice began to ring in her ears. She grumbled and groaned as she walked over to where her friends were seated, almost wishing that someone would strangle the old wizard with his own beard for being so chipper.

"You look like hell," Ron commented.

"Looks who's talking," Anya replied. "I may look like I have brain damage, but at least I have full use of all my limbs." She gestured at the crutches he had resting against the table beside him. Then she groaned. "I'm sorry Ron. I'm just so tired lately and my head is killing me all the time. It's like someone threw a bag of hammers in my skull and shaking it around."

"Maybe you should go see Madame Pomfrey again," Harry suggested.

Anya shook her head only causing the pain to become worse. "No way! I don't care how good her medicine works! If I have to gulp down another of those disgusting potions, I'm going to throw up!"

Hermione grimaced and pushed her bowl of porridge away from her. "Thanks for that. Quite the pleasant thing to think about while I'm eating."

Anya gave a sheepish smile. "Sorry Hermione. I'm just really not myself lately." She groaned again when she looked out the corner of her eye and saw Professor Dumbledore stand walk up to the podium in front of the teacher's table.

"I have a few notices that I wish to announce. Firstly, I regret to say that Professor Lupin has resigned from his post as Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher due to personal reasons."

"Lupin quit? Why would he do that? He was great! I actually _liked_ the class for once!" Anya complained.

"I talked with him the other day. Turns out that someone let it slip that Lupin was a werewolf and he didn't want Dumbledore to get into trouble with the parents about hiring him," Harry said.

Anya turned and glared at one particular teacher that sat up at the head of the Great Hall. "How much would you bet that Snape the Snake was that _someone_?" she growled. If there was ever a time where Anya felt like punching the guy, it was now.

"...And I have an exciting announcement. This summer, Hogwarts is beginning a special program. We shall select several students of different blood status, and these students will spend the summer together- half of the summer living with one another and their families. To learn of how the opposite life lives, and possibly bridge the gap that stands between enemies and friends.

"There shall be a list outside of the Great Hall later this week with the names of those whom have been selected for this program. Now off to class you lot! Pip pip!" And with that, all in the Great Hall were dismissed.

"Are they serious?" Ron asked as the four friends made their way to Divination. "Do they really expect to be able to make purebloods and muggleborns like each other? Are they mental?"

"Honestly? Who the hell knows?" Anya sighed impatiently before turning to the front of the class once Professor Trelawney began the lesson.

,:~:,

The whole school was simply buzzing about the idea of the summer program. Some were thrilled with the idea of living another lifestyle. Others... not so much.

"I just better not get chosen!" Anya heard Pansy Parkinson whining early Saturday morning. "If I have to spend my summer hanging around _Mudbloods_, I'll vomit!" Anya rolled her eyes when she saw the 'Mudblood' comment was directed at her as she walked out of the Great Hall for her usual morning jog. And just as she turned around the corner, she smacked right into someone.

"Oops! Sorry!" Anya blushed, brushing her bangs out of her eyes. When she looked up, she saw a familiar head of long black hair and green eyes. "Violet."

"Good morning," Vi replied curtly as she pushed herself up, not making any attempt to actually talk to Anya. She was going to just walk away, but she found her way blocked by Anya. Vi tried to dodge from side to side, but Anya was the perfect mirror image. "What do you want?" she huffed.

"I _want_ to talk to my friend. Maybe you know her: black hair, green eyes, Irish? We use to spend so much time together? Now she seems to practically hate me and I don't know what the hell is her problem with me!" Anya shot back. Vi just crossed her arms and looked away. Anya sighed. "Please Vi? If I'm going to lose a friend, I would at least like to know why."

Vi looked at the auburn haired witch out of the corner of her eye and she felt her resolve crumble to dust when she saw the puppy dog eyes. "I just don't see why you have to be so mean to Draco all the time.

"You remember that day in Muggle Music Club right?" Vi waited until the other witch nodded. "Well... Draco followed us and he heard _everything_. He was so crushed!"

Anya was shocked but she hid it well. "Why? I mean, what's the big deal? People talk bad about him all the time. Why would what I said have such a big affect on him?"

Vi smacked herself in the forehead. "Honestly Anya? A blind man could see that he likes you! Why can't you see it?"

Anya simply stood there in shock. _'Draco Malfoy... likes _me_? What... how? Why?'_ Of all the people in the school, Anya would never have suspected that she would receive affection from the Slytherin Prince himself. But now that she thought of it, it did make sense. After all, he never was rude or mean to her directly, he acted like a perfect gentleman that day in Hogsmeade, and she had noticed him looking at her several times in the middle of classes.

But then the memories of the past three years came flooding back. All the humiliation she and her friends had gone through putting up with him, the constant arguing that got no where... And the pain and anger Anya felt towards the Malfoy heir came right back. But she didn't know what to do. So she did the next best thing- she vented.

"Vi, I don't know what I feel towards Malfoy. On one hand, I can count the few times where he's been nice towards me, but that's it! He treats my friends like garbage, not to mention he's tried to get Harry expelled more times than I can count! His family despises anyone who has non-magical blood- like me and Hermione- so that would be difficult. His friends practically abuse me. He tried to get Buckbeak executed for a stupid reason that really was his own fault. And finally, he toyed with my feelings just when I was starting to actually get along with him!" The tears were coming fast and Anya just broke down.

"Oh Anya," Vi whispered, wrapping her friend in a comforting embrace. "Why can't you just give him a chance?"

"Why?" Anya sniffled as she wiped at her face. "So that way I open up to him and when he finally gets tired with me, he can throw me away like a piece of trash? Not to mention that I'd have my friends hating me for actually being with him and every Slytherin humiliate me 'til the day I die? No thanks!

"Besides," she gave a meek chuckle. "It wouldn't work out anyway. We're total opposites of each other. He's from a pureblood family with more money than anyone could ever spend and I'm this average muggleborn from New York. He probably has servants who do everything for him- I enjoy doing my own work 'cause it gives me a sense of accomplishment. Now you tell me Vi- how could two people so different ever have a future together?" Not even waiting for a response, Anya pulled herself together, popped in her headphones and ran off.

Vi sighed as she turned to the entrance doors to the castle. "You hear all that?" she asked to the person hiding in the shadows.

"Yes," the figure replied, steeping out into the light to reveal the head of platnium blonde hair and grey eyes. "And I think I know exactly how to fix things."

"How can I help?" Vi asked, a plan already forming in her head.

,:~:,

"Is this some kind of joke?" The Golden Quartet looked over to the bulletin board located outside of the doors to the Great Hall. They watched as Pansy Parkinson pushed her way through the crowd, her dark eyes glaring at everything in sight. When her gaze finally settled on Anya, she stomped up towards the American girl. Harry and Ron gently pushed Anya behind them, ready to protect her from whatever trouble the Slytherin girl would cause.

"What the hell kind of game are you trying to pull here, Collie?" she growled at the auburn haired teen. "'Cause whatever you're trying isn't going to work!"

"What on earth are you talking about?" Anya asked, having no clue why this witch was so ticked off with her today. She couldn't of figured out that Anya had been the one who had sent her that dead snake for a prank last week, or the box of spiders the week before. Anya had made sure that they couldn't be traced back to her.

"Don't act like you don't know!" Pansy barked. She pointed towards the bulletin board behind her. "I know you had something to do with this!"

Anya rolled her eyes as she pushed past the Slytherin and through the crowd. A pale yellow paper was pinned to the board and she saw the title _Summer Program _written in the usual green ink used by the school. She skimmed through the names and stopped when she saw the name 'Collins'. Curiosity got the better of her and only when she read it did she regret it. She even re-read the line three times as though doing so would change it, but it didn't.

Written there in black in white were the names _Collins, Anya and Malfoy, Draco._

"What... the... FUCK?" Anya screeched so loud that the windows shook with the noise. She ripped the paper off the board, ignoring the calls of the other students who were reading it, and marched up to her friends. "What the hell is going on here? Is this some kind of joke?" she repeated what Pansy had just exclaimed before.

"What's the matter Anya?" Harry asked, taking the paper from her when she was too shocked to speak.

Pansy crossed her arms. "It seems that our little American _brat_ convinced Dumbledore to have her spend the summer with _my_ Drakie!"

"_What?_" Hermione gasped, snatching the list from Harry to see for herself.

Meanwhile Anya simply stood there, unable to move or speak. It was if as though someone what hit her with a full body-locking jinx, and she could watch as people walked around her. The whole time, she was thinking _'Please be a dream! PLEASE be a dream!'_

But she knew that all the praying and wishing in the world would be futile. Even if she begged and pleaded with the headmaster, there was no changing his decision. This summer, Anya would be forced to spend time with Draco Malfoy, Slytherin Prince himself, while she tried to figure out what he was to her.

,:~:,

"Are you almost finished packing?" Hermione asked her friend, snapping the lid of her own trunk closed. She looked over at bed across from hers and saw the auburned haired girl sitting on the edge, her suitcase wide open and completely empty. "Anya?" She received no reply. With a sigh, Hermione walked over and began to fill the suitcase herself.

"Do you think..." Anya began, fiddling with the sweater she had clutched in her hands. "If I just sit here until the train leaves the Hogsmeade station, I could just stay here for the summer?"

"Doubt it," Hermione replied, folding the jeans she had grabbed and placing them neatly into the suitcase. "Professor Dumbledore himself said that you two would be traveling to your house by the Floo Network from his office."

Anya groaned, laying back onto the bed and grabbed the pillow and buried her face in it, letting out a muffled scream. The idea of this summer program would have been tolerable. After all, Anya did have the Holt twins to talk to, but there was only so much she could vent to them about Malfoy without telling them about the wizarding world. And Vi had came up only yesterday to tell her that she and her parents were going to visit some family over in Ireland for a month- only to return after Anya goes to spend a month with the Malfoys.

So later that day, Anya found herself in Dumbledore's office with all her bags packed, Starshine safely tucked away in his cage, and Draco Malfoy by her side. The two students stepped into the large fireplace and with a shout from Anya, the usual green flames errupted around them. When they stepped out, they were standing in the Collins' living room.

"Pumpkin!" Anya looked up from brushing dirt off her clothes to see her father coming around the corner.

"Daddy!" she grinned as she dropped everything and rushed towards him, ignoring the blonde that was standing at the fireplace. She wrapped her arms around his neck and surprisingly, he was able to pick her up off the ground just like he use to when she was little. "I missed you guys!"

"I thought I heard something going on in here." Anya looked over her father's shoulder to see her mother walk into the room. "Welcome home, sweetheart!" Nicole rushed over to her husband and daughter and embraced them in a hug. When she pulled back, she saw the young wizard standing off in the corner. "And you must be Draco Malfoy, am I right?"

The blonde seemed to come out of whatever stupor he was in, and he smiled as he extended his hand towards the woman of the house. "Yes ma'am. It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Collins."

"Oh please!" Nicole waved her free hand. "Just call me Nicole. All of Anya's friends do." She held her hand out to Anya's father. "And this is my husband, Rick."

"Pleasure to meet you sir," Draco said.

"Likewise," Rick replied with a smile. He wasn't exactly happy about the idea of this boy staying under the same roof as his little girl, but he accepted it as school work. Besides, judging by the way his daughter acted towards the blonde, there was nothing he had to worry about.

Rick set his daughter down on her feet and clapped his hands. "Well! Lunch is just about ready. Anya, why don't you show Draco here where he'll be sleeping and show him around a bit?"

Anya had to force the smile to stay on her face. "Sure thing. Come on Draco. It's this way." She waited until he grabbed his bags and headed upstairs.

"Ok, so this is your room for the next few weeks," Anya announced, showing him the guest room. Everything was white and black: the white canopy bed with black satin blankets, dark stained antique dresser and vanity table in the corner, and white curtains and walls. The window was wide open, allowing fresh air and lots of sunlight into the room. Anya always thought the guest room looked a lot like something from those insane asylum movies.

"Well there isn't much of a grand tour or anything," Anya said leaning up against the door frame while Draco placed his bags on the double sized bed. "You've got your own bathroom through that door, fresh towels are in the cupboard behind the door, and the closet's right there." She turned to leave before she was reminded of something.

"Oh! And by the way... that room there?" She pointed to the closed door directly across the hall. "That's _my_ room. And if you even so much as put a _toe _past that threshold, I'll skin you alive!" And with that, she headed downstairs, smirking to herself at the reaction she had seen on the boy's face.

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><p><em><strong>MMM: There we have it guys! Hope you all liked this chapter.<br>**_

_**AC: I have to spend my summer with Draco Malfoy? Are you f***ing kidding me? Hey! Did you just cencor my cursing? You b***ch!  
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_**MMM: lol Well, don't forget to review please.  
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_**Nancy (aka megamatchmaker)  
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	32. Year 3 Ch11

_**MMM: Ladies and gentlemen (though probably just ladies) we are in luck! I found my necklace! Yahoo! You see, I've got a futon for a bed and the arm rests have these fantastic flaps that open up for things like remotes and stuff. Well it turns out that I accidentally pushed the necklace back into the corner when I was putting away my TV remote and it was hidden on me! Who knew, right? Anyway, now that I've got my HP-fanfic-writing good luck charm back, I can post the next chapter and keep on writing! AWESOME!****  
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_**AC: Why didn't you just look there before?  
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_**MMM: Because I rarely put anything besides remotes in the flaps!  
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_**AC: OK. Sorry.  
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_**MMM: No problem. Come on then. Let's get writing! As usual, HP is not mine.**_

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><p><strong>Ch. 32 Parties<strong>

So the first few days of Anya's summer were relatively quiet. Draco kept to himself and Anya made no attempt to talk to him. When her parents went to work, Anya could spend most of her time outside, enjoying the balmy summer warmth. If she ever spent time with Irene and Emily, it was as far from her house as possible. The last thing she wanted was for them to meet Draco and start teasing her about his living under her roof.

"So the school's having their usual beach party this weekend," Irene announced as the three girls walked out of the arcade Wednesday afternoon. "A day of surfing, music, and bonfires. We scored a ticket for you. You wanna come with?" She held up the neon blue paper.

"You bet!" Anya cheered, taking the ticket and stuffing it into her pocket. "Time to break out the swimsuits!"

"Do you think we should tell her?" Emily asked her twin who simply shrugged her shoulders in reply.

"Tell me what?" Anya asked.

"I'm not sure. After all, we have no clue if there's already someone," Irene said. "The last thing she needs is a strain on whatever relationship she has."

"Tell me what?" Anya repeated. If there was some piece of gossip that the twins were being so secretive about, then it had to be good.

Emily sighed. "Alright, fine! If you're just _so_ curious to know..." she teased the auburn haired teen. "You remember that guy in our year with the cool hair and brown eyes? Darren James?"

"You mean Dynamite Darren? The hottest guy in the ninth grade? _That_ Darren?" Anya had the biggest crush on him for years, but with his girlfriend Rebecca around all the time, the chances of him actually noticing her were always slim.

The twins nodded eagerly. "Well? What about him?"

"Well... it seemed that he broke up with his girlfriend during the spring break. And he hasn't started dating anyone yet!" Irene began.

"And here's the really big news!" Emily continued. "He's been asking about _you _since!"

"Oh my God! Are you kidding me? You know I don't like it when you pull jokes on me. I never did totally forgive you for that time you guys took my clothes during gym class and tied them to the flag pole in the middle of winter."

"But that was a classic! Everyone laughed at that!" Irene protested.

"Except for me! I missed the bus waiting for the janitor to get my things down! I sure as hell wasn't going outside in the shorts of the gym uniform! Mom was so ticked off at me after that!" Anya replied.

"Well you can rest assured that we aren't fooling you," Emily spoke up before her sister said something stupid. "Darren _was _always talking about you. Things like 'I wonder how Anya's doing' and stuff like that. _And_ he's going to be at the party this weekend," she ended in a singsong voice.

Anya was _so_ looking forward to the beach party this year!

,:~:,

"Hey Mom? What do you think of this on me?" Anya asked her mother as she stepped out of her bathroom. She was dressed in a gold colored tank top bikini with a brown sarong wrapped around her waist that ended just past her knees. The colors complimented the light tan of her skin and brought out the natural highlights in her hair. In her hands, she held two other swimsuits on hangers; a one-piece in sky blue and a short navy blue sarong on one and a classic black bikini top and shorts combo on the other. "Or do you think one of these would look better?"

"They all look really nice sweetie, but what's the occasion?" Nicole asked her daughter.

"The annual beach party that the high school throws- it's this weekend- and I want to look my best," Anya replied, turning to the mirror and holding up the swimsuits in front of her body. "It's suppose to be the best night ever," she smiled.

Nicole smiled too. "Well then why don't you invite Draco with you?"

Anya whipped around to see her mother sitting on her bed with the ticket in her hand. "What?"

"Draco. You should invite him," Nicole replied. She held the ticket up. "It does say you can bring a guest. Didn't you read this when you got it?

"No it doesn't," Anya was quick to reply. This was suppose to be her big night! The night where she and Darren finally admitted their feelings for one another! How exactly was that suppose to happen if she's followed around all night by the Malfoy heir who turns out to be crushing on _her_? This dream was turning out to be a nightmare!

"Yes it does- right here." Her mother pointed to a specific spot on the paper and sure enough, it was there. Anya groaned. "I'll go see if Draco is interested," Nicole said getting up off the bed and headed to the room across the hall.

And so Anya found herself sitting on one of the big yellow buses... and beside Draco. Anya rolled her eyes, popping her headphones in and staring out the window. She could only hope that nothing too horrid would happen today.

,:~:,

"You remember what I told you?" Anya addressed the blonde wizard as she came out of the changing room in her gold swimsuit, tying the sarong to her person.

Draco nodded. "Keep an eye on my drinks and food at all time, don't accept anything from other people, and stay away from any funny smells. Got it." He gave her a smile before dashing off into the changing rooms himself. Anya rolled her eyes behind her sunglasses before heading over to the drink table.

"Ok girl- you've been holding out on us, so spill!" Anya looked over her shoulder to see Irene and Emily come up towards her; Irene in a multi-colored bikini and denim short-shorts and Emily in a light green one-piece with a white skirt. "Who was that cutie?" Irene asked.

"That 'cutie' is just someone I got partnered up with for a school summer program," Anya replied without a care. "And he's really annoying."

"That may be, but he sure is one hell of a hotty!" Emily exclaimed.

"What are you talking-" Anya began to ask only to stop dead in her tracks.

It seemed that there _was_ more to Draco that meets the eye. For underneath the usual black suit and school robes, there was one majorly good-looking guy! The blonde had just stepped out of the changing rooms in a pair of simple dark green swim trunks, showing off some impressive muscles.

"You were saying?" Irene teased.

Anya's jaw snapped shut and she spun on her heel to avoid looking at the Slytherin... and to hide the intense blush she was sporting. "Not a word," she growled.

"Maybe you should ask him to help you put some lotion on your back," Emily joked, snatching the bottle of suntan lotion that was sticking out of Anya's bag and waved it in her face, pulling away every time Anya tried to take it back.

"Hello." The three girls turned to see Draco standing right in from on them. "You must be friends of Anya. I'm Draco Malfoy. It's a pleasure to meet you." Anya saw how the twins practically swooned when he took their hand and pressed a kiss to the back.

_'Talk about dorks-r-us,'_ Anya thought, snatching the bottle away from Emily. Today really was going to be a disaster. Hopefully, Draco would scram off once he saw how happy she and Darren were together.

"Hey girls, have either of you seen Darren yet?" Anya asked.

"Who's Darren?" Draco asked and the girls could easily see the jealousy forming in his grey eyes. And the twins decided to have some fun with this.

"Oh, he's this _really_ cute guy in our year that Anya'd been crushing on since _forever_!" Emily said, hugging her younger friend to her side. "Iry, don't you think they would be the _cutest_ couple ever?" she asked her sister.

"Oh, of _course_!" Irene exclaimed coming to stand on the opposite side of Anya. "I mean let's face it- Darren and Anya are just _so_ compatible, it seems only_ natural _for them to be together!"

"Alright you two!" Anya huffed, throwing their arms off her shoulders and stepping away. "I think I'll just find him on my own!" But just as she turned to go look for the guy, another blonde popped up unexpectedly. Anya groaned. "What are you doing here?"

Lucy Heller sneered at the auburn haired teen. "I could ask that about _you_, Collins. This party is for students of Central Park East High, not social rejects," she scoffed, flicking her hair over her shoulder.

Anya smirked as she mimicked the scantly-cladded girl's move. "Well that's just really funny, 'cause I still got a ticket." She pulled the remaining stub out of her bag for show and showed the rubber bracelet that she received when she arrived. "Funny little fact- I actually have friends in high places, not lap dogs that obey commands."

Lucy rolled her eyes and that's when her gaze landed on Draco who had moved to the other end of the table to get drinks. "Ooh! Who's that delicious piece of hot flesh?"

"That's just someone I know from my school, but don't waste your time. I doubt you're his type," Anya said while she had an internal struggle with her green-eye monster. _'Why am I feeling like this? I like Darren!'_

"Well I'm sure I can make him change his mind," Lucy grinned. Then she shoved Anya's shoulder. "Out of my way, loser!" She adjusted her small bikini top- which already revealed way too much for a fourteen-year-old girl- so it showed even more of her chest and hiked her miniskirt up an extra two inches before she strided over to him.

"Slut," Irene and Emily hissed after the blonde before turning to their friend. "Well, come on then! Let's go see Mr. Dynamite himself!"

,:~:,

"Hi there!" Draco looked to his side to see some girl who was dressed in next to nothing standing there. She giggled when she saw him look and she began twirling a piece of her blonde hair around her finger. "I'm Lucy."

"Draco," he introduced himself with a curt nod, turning back to take the drinks from the vendor. But when he looked around for Anya, he couldn't see her anywhere.

"Oh, thanks!" Lucy smiled, snatching the cold beverage out of his hand and taking a sip. "It's just _so_ hot, you know?" she purred as she took a step closer.

Draco cringed and took a step back, accidentally knocking into the table behind him. "I'm sorry," he apologized when turned back to help the man wipe up the mess of spilled punch. "Sorry."

"Oh don't worry about that," Lucy smiled, resting her hand on top of his to stop him. "Come dance with me," she whispered in his ear and not even giving him a chance to respond, she dragged him towards the dance floor that was set up on the beach. Unfortunately for him, it was already a slow song. Lucy grinned at her good fortune and drapped her arms around his neck, pressing her body as close to him as possible.

Draco would have just pushed her off of him, but due to his proper upbringing by his mother, he reluctantly gave in and danced with her.

"So," Lucy began. "I haven't seen you around New York before. You just move here?" It didn't take a blind man to see that she was obviously flirting- quite poorly.

And Draco was no fool. "No. I'm only here for the summer. I'm partners with someone for something for a school project. Maybe you know her? Anya Collins?"

Lucy groaned. "Oh God! That pathetic girl? You poor thing!" She stroked his cheek. "How terrible that you have to live with that weirdo!"

"'Weirdo'? Why do you say that?" Draco asked.

"Well because of all the stories about her," Lucy replied as if it were obvious. "I mean, come on! There's no way that you can be _normal_ when you're her! People say that if you hang around her long enough, all that weird stuff that happens to her will happen to you!"

"Weird stuff like what?"

Lucy shrugged. "How should I know? I'm not going to waste my precious time on the little brat." Draco had to control himself to not hit her in the face with a spell or his own hand.

"Excuse me a minute, will you?" he asked when the music changed, hoping that it would give him the chance to slip away from the muggle.

"Oh! I'll come with you!" Lucy grinned, latching onto his arm.

,:~:,

"Oh, that was so much fun!" Anya laughed as she and Darren hopped off the speed boat. "I didn't know your dad owned one of these!" She handed her life jacket back to the driver.

The boy grinned, showing off a set of perfectly white teeth. He shook his light brown, surfer style hair out of his chocolate brown eyes. "Yeah... it's nothing special. Not like it's that big of a deal."

The night air was starting to pick up and the light spray of the water on her skin was causing goosebumps to form on Anya's arms. She rubbed at them to try and keep warm. "You cold?" Darren asked her and when she nodded slightly, he shrugged off his denim jacket and held it open for her. "You're wrap madame."

"Why thank you kind sir," she laughed, slipping her arms into the sleeves.

"I'll go get us some hot chocolate, ok?" And with another smile sent her way, Darren went off to the buffet tables.

Anya felt herself falling for the guy more and more with each passing second. He was sweet, he was smart, and he was humble. He didn't take his dad's money for granted, and he wasn't pompous about his good looks. 'Dynamite Darren' was an understatement. He was the whole display for the fourth of July fireworks.

_'Best first date ever!'_ Anya thought happily as she did a slight twirl in the sand.

_'But this isn't your first date!' _that little voice in her head said. _'Remember? You spent the day with Draco.'_

_'That wasn't a date! He didn't ask me out, and besides- he's a total asshole!'_ Anya argued before she groaned to herself. "Great... now I'm arguing with myself," she mumbled.

"Anya!" Anya looked over her shoulder to see a rather terrified Draco running towards her. "You've got to help me!"

Anya smirked. "What's the matter Draco? Not having fun with Lucy-fer?"

Draco shuddered. "That girl is more difficult to shrug off than the vines of a Venomous Tentacula! I swear, she hangs on to me like her life depends on it- and why are you laughing?" he finished, scowling at how the young witch was laughing at his expense.

"It's just too funny for words!" Anya laughed, wiping the tears from her eyes. "I mean, it makes sense- her last boyfriend dumped her ass, but this is just too much!"

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about how this is Lucy's strategy," Anya replied.

"Her last boyfriend was this really rich kid- his dad was in charge of one of the big law firms or something. Anyway, she found out he was loaded and she started getting into fights with him. He would try everything- flowers and chocolates- but she was never happy. Only when he started buying big, lavish things like designer clothes and solid gold jewelry, she'd forgive him.

"Last month, Irene sent me a letter say that he finally dumped Lucy and boy was she pissed! Apparently, she went on and on about how she didn't deserve to be treated like that and all the total bullshit. Of course, no one really believes her. But I guess once she had a taste of the finer things in life, she wanted more of it. So it seems only natural that she's trying to sink her claws into you now," Anya finished.

"What do you mean 'it seems only natural'?" Draco asked.

"Oh come on! The perfectly clean nails? The expensive jacket you've got on your back?" she gestured to said jacket. "I mean, honestly? I know she isn't the sharpest tool in the shed, but come on. She's not _that_ dumb!"

"Who are you talking about?" Darren asked as he came back, two steaming cups of hot chocolate in his hands. "Here you go." He handed one over to Anya.

"Thanks," she replied with a smile before carefully taking a sip._ 'Hmm... it's good, but Tom makes a better one,'_ she thought.

"We were talking about-" Draco began but was soon cut off by the very girl he was trying to lose.

"Draco! Oh, there you are!" Lucy fake-cried, drapping herself over his arm. "You left me at the bonfire all by my lonesome," she pouted to Draco before sneering at Anya. "Ugh! You again? Why don't you just run off somewhere? Go on! Shoo!" She even had the guts to make shooing motions with her hand.

"Why I oughta-" Anya growled, ready to punch the girl in the face. She was even going to, but Darren gently tugged her back.

"You know what? We'll leave you two alone," he said before turning to the girl in his arms. "Come on Anya, let's go." And with that, the two left, leaving Draco to fend off the crazy girl who wouldn't leave him alone.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AC: HA HA HA! Draco is stuck with Lucy Heller! HA!<br>**_

_**DM: Why? Why did you do this to me?  
><strong>_

_**LH: Oh DRAKIE! *bats eyes*  
><strong>_

_**DM: Stay away from me! *runs from crazy blonde girl*  
><strong>_

_**AC: *LMAO*  
><strong>_

_**MMM: Well, that's it for today! Luckily! Go ahead and review!  
><strong>_

_**Nancy (aka megamatchmaker)  
><strong>_


	33. Year 3 Ch12

_**MMM: Well hello again everyone! So here is another chapter for When Opposites Attract. And as for those reading this story who are starting to get ticked off since the whole romance thing hasn't started yet, trust me when I say that it is coming soon- VERY soon. In fact, it kind of starts in the next chapter (ch.34) So please, just hold on a little while longer!  
><strong>_

_**As usual, I don't own Harry Potter franchise.**_

_**AC: Yeah, it's just me that she really owns.  
><strong>_

* * *

><p><strong>Ch. 33 Auntie Joy's<strong>

"Merlin! That girl just won't leave me alone!" Draco growled as he watched Lucy walk away.

Anya just laughed. "If you're so determined to get her to stop tailing you like a bloodhound, why don't you just tell her?" she asked him as he climbed down from the tree he was hiding in. "It's not a crime to turn someone down."

"You don't think I bloody well tried that?" he shouted only to look around in fear and hide behind the tree. "It's like every time I turn her down, she comes back ten time worse! It's very disturbing!"

Anya shrugged. "Well... Maybe she really _does_ have a crush on you."

Draco's head shot out from behind the trunk of the tree and there was no mistaking the glare in his eyes for anything else. "Don't even _joke_ about something like that!" he hissed.

Anya held her hands up in surrender. "Whatever Draco. Come on, one more lap around the park and then we'll head back. Let's go!" And with that, they continued their jog. Anya had been reluctant, but Draco begged her to let him come with her. Something about how Lucy was always coming around the house and he had Mrs. Collins lie about his whereabouts. It would have only been a matter of time until she figured out that he was in the house when she came around.

At first, Anya thought that this was a hilarious situation. But as the week went on, even she grew tired of it all. She didn't like the idea of her enemy coming around her house every day. It only gave Heller more opportunities to insult Anya. And even though she wouldn't admit it, she was actually starting to enjoy spending more time around Draco.

"There you two are!" Nicole sighed as the two teens came into the house and hour later. "We're leaving for your aunt Joy's place tomorrow and neither of you are packed yet!"

"Hey hun?" Rick grunted, coming into the room with two large suitcases in his hands. "Don't you think you're over doing it a bit, huh?" he huffed, dropping the heavy bags. As much as he loved his wife, she did have the tendency to overpack for a trip. "We're only going there for three days."

"Hmm... you're probably right," Nicole replied while eyeing the suitcases with a critical eye. "I just don't know what to bring!"

"Mom," Anya said with a roll of her eyes as she sidestepped around her father and grabbed two apples from the fruit bowl on the counter. "We're going to Auntie Joy's place. Just take the essentials. You don't need high heels over there," she finished, tossing one of the apples to Draco and proceeding to take a bite from her own.

"You do have a point there," Nicole said. "Anya, why don't you go help Draco pack while I make up something for lunch. How does mac and cheese sound?"

"Sounds great Mom. Come on Draco."

,:~:,

"Ok, let's see what you got!" Anya announced as she opened the door on Draco's closet. "Alrighty then... three piece suit, another three piece suit... and _another_ three piece suit. Oh! Here's a _two_ piece! Three piece, two piece, three piece, two piece, two piece..." Draco watched as the auburn haired witch poked her head around the open door. "Ok, am I just going to find _nothing_ but suits?"

Draco gave a sheepish smile. "My mother always taught me that the way you present yourself is a very important thing."

"'Image is everything,'" Anya quoted and gave a shrug. "Why doesn't that surprise me?" She ducked back into the closet. "Quick question- is there anything here that isn't really expensive or dry cleaning?"

"Not really," Draco replied. "I've got some of my clothes I use for Quidditch practice, but other than that..." he ended with a shrug of his own.

Anya sighed before she walked over to the opposite end of the bed, pushed the empty suitcase out of the way and flopped down on her back. Even in the grey sweatpants and black shirt, her auburn hair matted down with dried sweat, Draco had never seen such amazing beauty.

He wished that he could tell her just how much he cared for her, but what good would it do him? If he did, she would probably just push him away or run off screaming.

_'Besides,'_ he thought bitterly. _'She's likes that Darren bloke.'_

Ever since that beach party, Anya spent a great deal of her time hanging around Darren. Anya always seemed so happy around the muggle and it made Draco feel so depressed. But what could he do about it? This boy was everything that Anya seemed to like in a guy: intelligent, 'down-to-earth' as Anya called it, and he treated everyone like and equal. And because he lived under his father's thumb, Draco had to act like all weathly purebloods acted: vain, cruel, and racist.

"Well, I'll tell ya." Draco snapped out of his train of thought and looked down at the girl before him. "_None_ of those clothes are going to help you over this weekend. We're going to my aunt's ranch for a little family get-together, and I doubt that your choice in clothing would ever be considered as ideal."

Draco sighed and leaned back on his arms. "So what? What's wrong with my choice in clothes?"

Anya pushed herself up on her elbows. "Hey, don't get me wrong here! A lot of girls like a guy who knows how to dress properly. I do. And I mean, honestly- the super baggy jeans and the t-shirt that's three sizes too big? Not the greatest fashion statement. But nothing but suits? That usually implies two things. One- his mother is the one that buys all his outfits. Two- he bats for the pink team."

Draco chuckled. "Well I can assure you that I do not bat for any pink team."

Anya laughed and Draco felt his heart swell with pride at being the one who made her laugh. "Well... I'll talk go talk with Mom. Maybe she can spare some extra cash and we can head to the mall and pick up some appropriate clothes. Something a little more teen friendly, you know?"

_'Whatever will make you happy,'_ Draco thought. "Sure. I guess that sounds like fun."

"Cool." Anya sat back up and lifted the collar of her shirt to her nose. "Eww... better clean up first." She then stood up and headed out the door. "See you downstairs!" she yelled over her shoulder.

Draco smiled as he headed to the bathroom for a shower of his own.

,:~:,

Although the countryside was a short distance from the city, the drive took longer due to some traffic on the way out of the city along with one of the lanes on the road being blocked off due to terrible potholes. But Anya enjoyed it none the less. She got into a small food fight with Draco in the back seat when he tossed a piece of popcorn into the air and it landed in her hair, the four of them would sometimes sing along to the songs on the radio if the channel wasn't too horrible, and nothing could beat an old-fashion game of 'I Spy'.

"We're here kids!" Nicole announced about two hours later. Anya yawned as she woke up from her little power-nap, blushing when she realized that her head had been resting on Draco's shoulder and his arm was wrapped around her.

"Sorry," she mumbled as she pulled away.

"It's alright," he smiled as he straightened up, fixing his shirt so it wasn't too crumpled looking.

The new clothes really did a great deal of change on the Malfoy heir. The red and white checkered, button-up shirt, blue jeans, and sneakers made him look like your average teenage boy. No one would ever think twice that he was some wealthy kid. It looked natural on him.

Anya smiled and looked out the window to see the familiar lodge-like house where her father had been born and raised in. The place was rather big but then again the Collins family tree was just as big with Rick's three brothers and two sisters alone and they had get-togethers frequently in the past. And now Auntie Joy and her family would often turn the place into a bed and breakfast during spring and fall.

Anya hopped out of the backseat onto stiff and slightly wobbly legs and barely had time to adjust to being vertical again when she was picked back up.

"Hey there cuz!" Brad shouted as he swung her around before setting her back onto her feet. "Looking good!"

Anya chuckled, reaching up to mess his already ruffled brown locks. "Hey Brad. Getting a little shaggy there, aren't ya? Whatever happened to getting a haircut?"

"Aw shoot!" Brad laughed, shaking his hair out of his green eyes. "You know me. I like my hair like this. Makes me look like something out of that 'Outsiders' book," he joked only to gain a roll of the eyes from Anya. "Ok, so I'm no Ponyboy Curtis, but I'm not that bad," he said as he draped his arm over her shoulders. Then he noticed Draco getting out of the car. He nodded towards the blonde and raised a critical eyebrow. "Hey Anya- who's this?"

"Right... Draco, this is my cousin, Brad Martin. Brad, this is Draco Malfoy. He's a friend from school that I was partnered up with for a summer program- kind of like a student exchange thing," Anya said.

"Pleasure to meet you," Draco said, holding out his hand to shake the other boy's hand, clearly intiminated by Brad's size.

"Hey man. Right back at ya," Brad replied with a firm grasp. "But I better warn you... if you're gonna become part of this family someday, you better get use to hugging people. Mom just can't get enough of them." He grinned when he saw the two younger teens blush with embarrassment. If there was one thing he liked doing, it was teasing his cousin.

"Hey there Brad. Good to see you again," Rick said as he came out of the car with his wife.

"Hi Uncle Rick! Long time no see!" the brunette grinned as he high-fived his uncle. "And Aunt Nicole! You look nice today. Here- let me help you with those," he gestured to the suitcases that Rick was pulling out of the trunk.

"Thank you Brad," Nicole smiled.

"Hey Anya!" Anya looked back at the house to see one of Brad's sisters, Debbie, rushing towards her and pull her into a hug. "Girl, I missed you! Why do you have to keep going to that boarding school in England? Why not just transfer here?"

Anya rolled her eyes. "Debs, it's not a boarding school- it's a really big opportunity to go there. And besides, I have my own reasons in going there."

Debbie laughed as she playfully nudged her cousin, nodding her head in Draco's direction. "If there were guys like _that_ in my school, I'd find myself looking forward too."

"Oh you're terrible!" Anya laughed. "If you keeping acting like that, you'll be as bad as your brother before you're even sixteen!" she joked. Debbie may have been the same age as her, but she was more of a handful than her older brother who was just shy of turning eighteen.

The two laughed as they followed everyone else into the house.

,:~:,

"Ann!" Anya turned around and barely caught herself when a little blur of pink and yellow barreled into her. She laughed as she picked up the five-year-old and hugged her. "I missed you!" she giggled in an adorable voice as she clutched to the open denim vest Anya was wearing. She smiled, revealing a gap in her top row of teeth where one came loose.

"I missed you too, Kitty-Cat!" Anya laughed, giving her little cousin a peck on the cheek. They both had special nicknames for each other that only they were allowed to use.

Now Cathy Martin was the cutest kid you'd ever meet. She had medium blonde hair that was naturally curly, framing her cherub-like face where two baby blue eyes rested just above a button nose. She was so sweet and there was no way that you could say no to her if she asked for something and she knew it.

"Sing a song. Please?" Cathy begged with a pout.

Anya laughed again. "I will. But first I gotta go find Auntie Joy, 'kay?"

"I'll bring you to her!" Cathy chirped and once Anya set her down on her feet, she grabbed her cousin's hand and led her to the backyard.

The party was already in full swing. Everywhere she looked, Anya could spot a cousin, aunt or uncle. Some of the younger kids were running around with water guns and balloon swords and the adults were laughing away merrily. She smelt the delicious food that could only come from her aunt's cooking and she could already taste her famous chili.

Cathy led Anya over to the buffet table where her mother was busy. "Mommy! Look! Look! Ann's here!" she cried.

"Oh sweetheart!" Joy exclaimed, placing the bowls back onto the table and walking over to her niece. "I'm so happy to see you!"

"It's great to see you too Auntie Joy," Anya grinned as she hugged the woman.

Joyce Collins-Martin was the image of a good soul. This woman gave so much to her community and asked for nothing in return. If there was ever a food drive, Joy would be the first one to volunteer. She opened her doors to whoever needed it and she never judged. And she was the perfect example that a woman could have a strong career and a family- Joy worked as a lawyer. She was Anya's idol.

Joy reached up and held Anya's face in her hands. "Look at you! You look so beautiful!" She hugged the girl again and as she looked over her shoulder, she saw a new face in the crowd. "Well, well, well! I guess I know what you've been up to!" she winked at Anya.

"Auntie Joy!" Anya hissed, her cheeks quickly becoming as red as a tomato.

"I'm just teasing you!" Joy laughed before introducing herself to Draco. "Hello. You must be Anya's friend Draco. I'm Joyce, but please- call me Auntie Joy." Then she pulled him into a hug. It was obvious that Draco was shocked but he returned the gesture none the less.

Anya felt something tugging on her vest and she looked down to see Cathy holding a bunch of chocolate chip cookies. "Don't tell Mommy, ok?" Anya nodded with a smile and watched as the five-year-old ran off with her stash.

"Hey cuz!" Brad called at Anya. "Let's show these crazies how to really cut a rug, huh?"

"You bet!" she cheered, grabbing his hand and leading him over to the make-shift dance floor where they danced away to Kenny Loggins' 'Footloose'.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AC: This is going to be great! Watergun fight! *whips out watergun and starts spraying everyone*<br>**_

_**DM: Two can play at that game! *whips out own watergun and returns attack*  
><strong>_

_**BM & DM: Don't forget about us! *grab waterpistols and join in*  
><strong>_

_**MMM: Keep those away from my laptop! It's going to- *computer frizzes out* Damn.  
><strong>_

_***everyone else runs away*  
><strong>_

_**MMM: Well, that's it for today. Don't forget to review!  
><strong>_

_**Nancy (aka megamatchmaker)  
><strong>_


	34. Year 3 Ch13

_**MMM: Hey you guys! Like clockwork, it's time for another chapter to When Opposites Attract! And as promised, the love part of my story is about to begin! Hope you guys like it! So without further ado, I present ch. 34!**_

_**AC: WHOA, WHOA, WHOA! Hold it! Aren't you missing something here?**_

_**MMM: Let's see- clockwork... romance... Nope!  
><strong>_

_**AC: *knocks on author's head* Anybody home in there? Your disclaimer?  
><strong>_

_**MMM: Oops! Right! I don't own Harry, Ron, Hermione, or anything like that.  
><strong>_

_**AC: That's better *walks over to Draco, takes his hand and walks away***_

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><p><strong>Ch. 34 Horseback Riding and Picnics<strong>

Draco had never felt so happy before. There was no call to impress anyone, no imppecable reputation that took years to create to worry about- nothing. This summer experience was turning out to be the best thing that ever happened to him. Spending time with the girl he secretly loved was the big bonus to it all.

"Come on! Rise and shine everyone!" 'Auntie' Joy yelled as she came into her son's bedroom where he, Draco, and another of Anya's cousins, Jack, were sleeping. The three boys groaned as she opened the curtains, flooding the room with light. "Come on you three! Breakfast is ready!"

"Five more minutes Mom," Brad mumbled, rolling over and shoving his pillow over his head to block out the noise and light.

"Fine..." Joy sighed before walking out the door.

"That was easy," Draco chuckled before tucking further back into his sleeping bag. But just as he was beginning to succumb to his dreams once again, he jolted awake when a foghorn rang through the room. Her shot up like a cork in a champagne bottle, clutching at his chest. A crash beside him informed him that Brad had fallen out of bed and a shout from the other side of the bed indicated that he had fallen on top of Jack.

A round of giggles came from the doorway and Draco looked over to see Anya and Debbie standing there in their pajamas. Debbie had something silver in her hands- a 'video camera' as Anya had called it once- and Anya was doubled over in laughter, a gas foghorn can clutched in her hand. Draco had seen one of those before- Fred and George Weasley had used one on more than one occasion last year.

"Ha ha! Oh God- you three should have seen your faces!" Debbie said over her giggles. "Talk about movie magic!"

"Oh man! This is _so_ going to America's Funniest! We're gonna make a fortune off this!" Anya laughed as she pulled herself up. "Classic!"

"Oh yeah?" Brad asked as he picked himself up. "Well then, maybe you'll like _this!_" The girls screeched as he came running at them, pillows in hand and Jack right behind him. Draco laughed and decided to join in on the fun, so he grabbed his own pillow and chased after everyone else.

He found them three doors over in Debbie and Cathy's room. The four were all battling it out with pillows, feathers flying. Anya smacked Brad in the back of his head with hers, causing him to fall face first onto the bed. Abandoning the pillows, the three younger teens jumped on top of him and began to tickle him mercilessly. "Hey Draco! Give me a hand here would ya?" Brad asked through his gasping.

A few seconds later, Draco found himself in the same position as Brad, gasping for breath as fingers dug into his sides.

"Ahem!" The ruckus stopped and each pair of eyes turned to the small figure standing at the door. Cathy tried to look menacing but in her pink rainbow pajamas, bunny slippers and the teddy bear clutched under her arm only made her look that more adorable. "Mommy says to go downstairs or all the pancakes will be gone."

"Alright! Food!" Brad cheered, pushing his way up and bolting out the door. Debbie and Jack soon followed, leaving Anya and Draco alone... well, as alone as two people could get with a five-year-old standing right outside the door.

"Ah... right," Anya finally spoke up, quickly hopping off the bed and brushing her hair out of her flushed face. "That was... Well, random." Shaking her head, she hopped on over to her little cousin. "Come on Kitty-Cat. Let's go eat."

"I want a piggyback ride," Cathy announced.

"Ok then," Anya replied, turning around and crouching down so Cathy could hop on her back.

But Cathy shook her head. "I want Drake to do it!" she pointed to the blonde standing there. Draco felt his heart warm at the little girl's nickname for him.

"I don't think that Draco-" Anya began to say, but Draco quickly stopped her.

"No, it's alright. I can do it," he smiled. "Come here, kid." And with his help, Cathy got up onto her sister's bed and hopped up onto his back, her stubby little arms wrapping around his neck and her teddy bear swinging from her clasped hands. He turned to Anya to see her reaction to this and he was greeted by a megawatt smile. He returned the smile and began to carefully head downstairs. As he passed by the auburn haired witch, she reached up and gently placed her hand on his arm and whispered 'thank you'. Draco felt like he was on cloud nine the rest of the morning.

,:~:,

"Alright you guys!" Brad exclaimed as the several horses came to a stop along the riverbed. "We'll all meet back here in say half an hour for lunch. Alright?" Once everyone nodded, he gave the signal to go ahead. "And stay with your riding buddy! Last thing we need is anyone getting lost!" he reminded them all.

"Hey there, partner!" Anya said in an old western voice, tipping an imaginary hat at Draco as she rode up beside him. "How 'bout we stop for a spell? This here horse is startin' to get a lil' tuckered out here."

Draco laughed before slipping into an accent of his own. "Sure thing, pretty lady," he said with a wink, causing Anya's face to glow bright red.

They pulled their horses to a stop and Draco climbed down, patting the stallion's neck gently as he fed it an apple he had tucked in his saddlebag.

Anya, being so interested in how the Malfoy heir interacted with her father's old horse, didn't pay complete attention to what she was doing and her cowgirl boot got caught in the stirup. "Shoot!" she muttered, trying to reach down to get untangled, but her horse Snow White- named so for her pure white body and midnight black mane and tail- would start moving when she tried. "Easy girl."

"Here." Anya looked up from her trapped foot to see Draco standing beside the horse. He gently grasped her calf and carefully pulled her foot free of the strap. When he looked up, she became speechless. "Come on. I'll help you down," he said as he held out his arms. Anya swung her other foot over the horse's neck and reached down to place her hands on Draco's shoulders for support, his own hands coming up to her waist.

But the one thing that Anya forgot to factor in was how to get down. She wound up putting a little too much force behind her as she jumped down and Draco was the poor soul who was on the receiving end of the excess power. He tried to get his balance but Anya's body collided with his and he was sent sprawled out on the grass.

Anya felt so embarrassed. Here she was straddling his waist, her hair hanging around their heads like a curtain of dark red, and his hands resting on her hips.

"Anya?" Anya snapped out of her thoughts when she realized Draco was talking to her. "I said 'are you alright?'" She blushed and nodded slightly, letting out a small gasp when his hand came up to her forehead. "Well, you don't seem to have a temperature, but your face is awfully flushed."

"I'm fine!" she squeaked, her voice breaking a little as she scurried to get up off the blonde. If any of her cousins had been around and had seen that, she would have never heard the end of it. She even looked around to any signs of them, but luckily there was no one else in the clearing with them other than the two horses.

But what really shocked her was how... right it had seemed. She wasn't sure how to explain it. It was as comforting as a mother's hug and as natural as breathing.

"Well... how about we go for a walk?" Anya looked up to see Draco once again standing before her with his hand held out to help. But instead of taking it, she pushed herself off the ground. She brushed off her jeans of any grass and dirt and walked over to Snow, gently stroking the horse's nose and taking the reins.

The two teens walked side by side, leading their horses along beside them.

"So... tell me a little about yourself," Draco said, trying to get some sort of conversation from the auburn haired witch who had gone quiet.

Anya looked up in surprise. "Why?"

Draco shrugged. "Well, this summer program is suppose to be about creating more friendly territory between purebloods and muggleborns, right? And isn't that what friends do? They talk a bit about themselves so they can get to know one another, find common interests, and build a friendship on said interests?" he asked.

Anya's brow raised until it almost disappeared behind her short bangs. "So... you're saying you want to be friends?" When Draco nodded eagerly, she figured 'what could be the harm?', so she began her story.

,:~:,

An hour later, everyone was sitting around the many picnic blankets spread out on the dry parts on the riverbed. Cathy was curled up on her big brother's lap, taking her afternoon nap whilst he quietly conversed with his girlfriend Donna. Debbie and Jack were sprawled out on their blanket, rubbing at their over-fed bellies and groaning while Mark, Jack's older brother, continued to shovel pie into his mouth.

Anya and Draco sat on the third blanket, a little further away from the others. Anya knew that this had been planned by her nosey cousins but she was also thankful for the space between them gave her and Draco the chance to talk about wizard stuff without being overheard.

Anya was actually surprised with how much she had learnt about Draco. She learnt that he was born on June fifth, he had practiced horseback riding since he was six, and his favorite drink was actually Gatorade. He liked reading books with a horror or mystery theme and poetry, his favorite band was the Weird Sisters, other than Quidditch his favorite activities were rock climbing and star gazing, he couldn't stand the smell of egg salad sandwiches, and he was allergic to celery.

"Want another sandwich?" Anya offered the blonde, a ham and cheese sandwich in her outstretched hand.

Draco shook his head. "No thanks. I think that three is my limit," he said, a small burp escaping from him. "Excuse me!"

"It's cool," Anya waved it off as she put the sandwich back in the basket beside her. She nodded towards where her oldest cousin was sitting. "_He_ does that way louder, longer, and more often. I pretty much grew up listening to that sound." She then laid back on the blanket, her arms folded under her head.

"I just love looking at the clouds," Anya sighed happily as she looked up at the sky. "Reminds me of when I was little and my dad and I would play that cloud game. You know, that one where you see different shapes like a rabbit or something?" She looked up at the Slytherin. "You wanna play?"

"Sure," Draco smiled before stretching back to lay beside her, his head almost inches away from her. "You go first." He rested his folded hands on his stomach.

"Alright..." Anya smiled before turning back to the sky. She looked around and after a few minutes, she finally saw one. "Aha! You see that one over there?" she asked, pointing to the cloud in question. "Kind of looks like a baby dragon, huh?" It reminded her of Norbert, Hagrid's pet dragon from back in first year.

"Oh yeah!" Drao laughed. "Hmm... well, that one sort of looks like a Nimbus Two Thousand and One," he said, pointing at another.

"Where?"

"Right there," Draco replied. He moved his head closer to hers to see better from her point of view and Anya felt her heart pound in her chest.

_'Ok, my heart is going like Road Runner, but I'm alright with it,'_ Anya thought. _'Why is that? I mean, I never felt like this before, not even with... with... Wow! He smells like gardenias! I didn't even know he liked them!_

_ 'Wait a sec!'_ Anya stiffened. _'Gardenias? Star gazing? Poetry? Oh my God! Draco's my secret admirer!'_ Now her heart was beating faster but for a whole other reason. _'No... no... I'm just imagining it.'_

_ 'But Vi did tell you that he liked you,' _that little voice in her head said. _'Would it be so terrible if it turned out he _was _your admirer?'_

_ 'But I'm with Darren! I mean, we are just so great together!'_

_ 'Well yeah, but what future would you have with him?' _the voice continued. _'He doesn't seem like the kind of person that would be alright with you being a witch, does he?'_ Anya tried to think of a comeback but she came up empty. _'Yeah... thought so._

_ 'Besides, look at how well your family accepts him.'_ Anya looked over at Draco. Cathy was awake now and she had run over to her cousin and the blonde and dropped into Draco's lap, where he began to tickle her. Cathy's sweet laugh filled the area with happiness, just like always and it made Anya's heart flutter that it was this guy beside her that was the cause of it all. She could see him as a dad, showing his son how to play Quidditch or taking his daughter to her prom... his daughter with pale blonde hair and _violet_ _eyes_.

"Yo Anya!" The auburn haired teen snapped out of her thoughts and looked over to see Brad leaning against a tree, his arm wrapped around Donna's waist. "Why don't you play something for us?"

"Yeah! Please?" Cathy begged as she bat her eyes and smiled that oh-so-innocent smile of hers. Draco rested his chin on the five-year-old's shoulder, giving Anya the sad puppy eye routine and she knew she was defeated.

"Alright fine," she mock-huffed, smiling as she pulled herself up and walked over to where all the horses were safely secured by the river. Tugging her trusty old guitar off the back of Snow's saddle before heading back over to the blanket where pretty much everyone had gathered around. "I honestly don't see why you guys always seem to want me to sing so much."

"Are you kidding me?" Anya was almost stunned at the amazed tone in Draco's voice as he and Cathy came to sit beside her. "Your voice is amazing! It like... _angels_ singing." Anya ducked her head to hide her blush, not noticing how Brad nudged Mark with his elbow or how Debbie and Donna shot pleased smirks at each other. The only person's face she could see was Cathy's, and of course the kid was too young to understand.

"Alright," Anya finally spoke up before she began strumming a tune.

_I've never been the kind that you call lucky_

_Always stumblin around in circles_

_But I must have stumbled into something_

_Look at me_

_Am I really alone with you?_

_I wake up feeling like my life's worth living_

_Can't recall when I last felt that way_

_Guess it must be all this love you're giving_

_Never knew, never knew_

_It could be like this..._

_But I guess_

_Chorus:_

_Some hearts they just get all the right breaks_

_Some hearts have the stars on their side_

_Some hearts they just have it so easy_

_Some hearts just get lucky sometimes_

_Some hearts just get lucky, lucky sometimes_

_Now who'd have thought someone like u could love me?_

_You're the last thing my heart expected_

_Who'd have thought I'd ever find somebody?_

_Someone who, someone who_

_Makes me feel like this_

_Well I guess_

_Chorus_

_Bridge:_

_Ooooh_

_Even hearts like mine_

_Get lucky, lucky sometimes_

_oooh oh oh oh_

_Ohhhhhhhhhh!_

_Chorus 2x_

_I'm not the kind of girl that you call lucky..._

_I'm not the kind of girl that you call lucky_

_(some hearts get lucky sometimes...oooooooh...)_

When she finished, everyone started clapping. And then, taking a very bold step, Anya leaned over and pressed a kiss to Draco's cheek. The blonde boy sat there stunned, Anya's face became so red that it almost matched her hair, and everyone else 'ooh'ed at the display of affection.

So maybe the song wasn't a perfect example for them, but hey... Anya felt like her luck had just taken one hell of a turn for the better. And that was good enough for her.

_'Maybe Vi was right... Maybe we could work,'_ Anya thought.

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><p><em><strong>MMM: So that's it for today! The song used in this chapter is called 'Some Hearts' and it's by Kelly Levesque. It's from the soundtrack for the movie America's Sweethearts' which I recommend you watch if you haven't already. It's with Julia Roberts (who if I didn't mention in the last chapter is who I visualized Auntie Joy to be) John Cusack, Billy Crystal, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and a whole bunch of other amazing actors. Really, it's a fantastic movie.<br>**_

_**Anyway, join us next week! Don't forget to review!  
><strong>_

_**Nancy (aka megamatchmaker)  
><strong>_


	35. Year 3 Ch14

**_MMM: Hello my wonderful readers! Well, I am pleased to say that this is the last chapter for Year 3 of When Opposites Attract. But don't worry! There's still more of the summer program to complete. It'll just go on into Year 4._****  
><strong>

**_Now, for a very special message. This chapter is dedicated to Evelyn in honor of her birthday today. Ready guys?  
><em>**

**_AC & DM: READY!  
><em>**

**_MMM, AC, & DM: HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU! HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR EVELYN! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!  
><em>**

**_MMM: Happy Birthday Evelyn! Wishing you a day of good fortune, happiness, and love. And many more years to come. And this is my gift to you on your special day._**

**_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter._**

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><p><strong>Ch. 35 Shining Knight<strong>

The next few weeks passed by so quickly that Anya couldn't have kept track even if she had wanted to. The more time she spent with Draco, the more she became relaxed and enjoyed his company.

She brought him to his first carnival, where he had his first slushie and hot dog... only to go and puke it all up after his first time on a roller coaster. Later that same day, he played one of the darts games and won her a panda plushie. They went to the cinema where Draco had his first 3D movie experience. At the arcade, Anya watched as the blonde blew almost thirty bucks worth of change on the arm wrestling game and she laughed when he got fed up and used both hands against the machine.

"Are you sure you're ok?" Anya asked Draco as they walked into the air conditioned area of the city's local teen hangout, Baxley's. They had just arrived from the skate park where Draco had attempted to rollerblade, only to keep falling down when he lost his balance or smash into something. To say that this wasn't his kind of sport would be an understatement.

Draco cringed as he rubbed at the sore muscles in his arm, his pale skin already turning black and blue with a bruise. "I'll be alright. It's really not that bad," he replied, trying to convince her. But that was wishful thinking- he had fallen head first into a garbage bin after all.

Anya smiled. "Yeah, well... practice does make perfect. I remember being so bad when I started. It took me _weeks_ before I could go five feet without falling off my skateboard." She held up the item in question with one hand while unstrapping her helmet with the other, shaking her long hair loose.

"Hey Anya!" Anya looked at the man behind the counter and she smiled.

Max Baxley was the owner and head cook of Baxley's diner. A slightly over-weight man with salt-and-pepper grey hair that was thinning in most places and very pale blue eyes that stood out against his dark tanned skin. This guy was like that favorite uncle you see constantly.

"Hey there Max!" Anya beamed as she hopped up onto one of the checkered stools at the counter. "Been a while, huh?"

"The last time I saw you, you didn't have this young man at your side," Max teased, nodding his head towards the blonde taking the seat beside her.

Anya blushed. "Can I get a menu?" she asked, hoping that the could hide her face behind it.

Max laughed as he handed the menus over before striking up a conversation with Draco. Eventually, he took their orders and headed off in back to prepare them.

"He seems like a nice fellow," Draco commented.

,:~:,

Anya had just left to go to the washroom when the door to the diner opened. Draco turned around to see who had just come in and he felt a raging fury burning in his chest.

Because at that moment, with some random girl draped over his arm was Darren. The dark haired boy seemed pleased with himself as he led the girl over to one of the booths and sat down across from her.

Before Draco knew what he was doing, he had stood up and marched over to the muggle boy, his fists clenched with the desire to hit him. For Draco knew that Anya still had some feelings for Darren and she hadn't ended whatever sort of relationship she had with him. And here he was with some other girl, acting like he was single.

"Oh hey man," Darren greeted the blonde, completely unaware of his anger towards him. "Didn't expect to see you here? Finally gave Heller a chance, huh?"

"No, I didn't," Draco growled. He nodded to the new girl. "And who's this? I thought you were with Anya."

"Anya? Who's Anya?" the girl asked with a scowl, clearly displeased with this new bit of information she had just learnt.

Darren smiled at the girl before excusing himself. He nodded his head to the arcade section of the diner, slung his arm over Draco's shoulder like he was a friend, and led him over there. "Listen man, Anya's a great girl and all, but I mean let's face it- can't really have a solid relationship with a girl that lives in another country for most of the year."

"So you're going to cheat on her?" Draco fumed as the muggle began to lazily play a pinball game.

"It's not really cheating. Besides, what does it matter? I can't even get her to make out with me."

Darren suddenly found himself on the floor with an aching jaw. He looked up to see Draco standing over him, his fists clenched until the knuckles became white. Seeing red, Darren lunged at the younger boy's legs, effectively knocking him down. Fists began to fly along with harsh words as the two rolled around on the floor, trying to get the upper hand on the other.

"What the hell- Stop!" Anya's voice could be heard over the crowd's chants of 'fight, fight, fight!' Darren maneuvered his leg to push-kick Draco in the chest and off of him, placed his hands beside his head and kicked himself up into a standing position. And while the blonde was struggling to catch his breath, the older teen swung his fist and it connected with Draco's jaw. The other boy stumbled, falling backwards and hitting his head against the counter.

When Draco came to, he felt something cold pressing gently against his head. Groaning, he tried to push himself up but a firm yet gentle hand came to his shoulder.

"Careful there. You got a pretty nasty bump on the head," Anya's sweet voice filled his ears and he simply laid back and relaxed. "That was some serious fight there. Care to explain why you were trying to beat Darren to a pulp?"

At the mention of the older boy's name, anger flooded Draco's mind. The careless words he had said about Anya swan through his head and Draco wanted so much to do far worse. "He was being a prick," Draco growled as he sat up, ignoring the ringing in his head.

"So I heard," Anya replied, wiping at Draco's forehead with a cloth as she dropped the plastic bag filled with ice beside her. "His new 'girlfriend' told me that you had mentioned my name. She had no idea she was talking to me until I told her. Turns out he's been seeing her since the day after the beach party." She frowned. "I knew he was too good to be true," she muttered and Draco could see the beginning of tears in her violet eyes.

With a gentle hand, he reached out and brushed a few locks of auburn hair from her face, softly stroking her cheek. Anya's eyes closed as she tried to keep the tears a bay but it was a futile attempt. She let out a sob and before he could even question whether he should or not, Draco had his arms wrapped around her and he allowed her to cry in his chest.

"Draco?" Draco felt his heart break for the girl he loved when he heard the quivering sound of her voice. "Thanks," she whispered.

"Any time," he replied, hugging her closer.

,:~:,

"Drakie!" Anya heard Draco groan as the familiar screech of Lucy Heller's voice rang through the park. The two Hogwarts students looked up to see the blonde rushing towards their picnic blanket. "I missed you!"

_'How the hell do her parents let her get away with those clothes?'_ Anya thought in disgust as she looked at Lucy's outfit... if you could call micro short-shorts and a red tube top an outfit. It looked more like two scraps of cloth that barely covered her body.

Lucy grinned as she fluttered her eyelashes, pushing her way between Draco and Anya as she plopped down on the ground beside him. "Is this loser giving you a hard time?" she asked Draco, sending her usual glare in Anya's direction, receiving one from the auburn haired teen in response. She hopped back up, grabbing his hand to tug him up. "Come on! Let's go somewhere that doesn't reek of pathetic."

"That's it!" Both girls jumped in shock at the male's anger. He stood tall and towered over Lucy and it was obvious that the New Yorker was terrified. "I have _had it_ with your pathetic excuse of flirting and how you constantly throw yourself at me! I have tried to be nice and tell you 'no' but it's obvious that nothing will penetrate your thick skull! I will tell you this only once- if you ever insult Anya like that again, I swear that you will not see the light of day ever again! So do yourself a favor and leave us _alone_!"

Lucy quivered with fear before turning on her heel and ran off. Anya just sat there in amazement as Draco sat back down and acted as if nothing had happened. "Whoa! Hold up, stop the presses, rewind!" she exclaimed. "Where the hell did _that_ come from?"

Draco looked up from the basket and gave her a look. "What do you mean? She deserved it. No one should talk like that towards you- you're way better than that. And besides, it seemed like the only way for her to actually comprehend that I didn't like her." He held a hand out to her and once he had helped her up, he rolled the blanket close and tucked it under his arm. "Come on. We should probably get home. One of us still needs to finish packing."

They headed back to the house and when they got there, everything was dark. Curtains were drawn close and every light in the house was off.

"What the heck-" Anya began, feeling around for the light switch.

"SURPRISE!" Anya jumped out of her skin, clucthing at her chest to calm her racing heartbeat. Her parents, along with Auntie Joy and her kids, and the Holt family sprang out from behind the furniture the moment the lights went on, throwing confetti in the air. A big banner hung in the living room and it read 'Happy 14th, Anya!'

"What is all this?" Anya asked her parents.

"Ask Draco here," Rick replied, nodding towards the blonde standing behind his daughter. "It was all his idea."

Anya turned back to the Malfoy heir and saw that he was blushing. "Well, I figured that since we would be leaving for my house before your birthday, maybe you'd like to celebrate it a littler earlier so you can be with your family. I just-"

But Draco couldn't say anything more because Anya had jumped into his arms and proceeded to hug him with all her might. He seemed to get over the shock quickly as he wrapped his arms around her.

"Thanks Draco. You're the best," she whispered, reaching up to press a kiss to his cheek.

The party was a lot of fun. They played a few rounds of cherades and video games, most of which Anya won. Brad _attempted_ to embarrass Anya by pushing her face into her birthday cake, but the younger teen was too fast for him and _he_ got a face full of red velvet cake instead. Anya grabbed her camera and quickly snapped a picture, saying that it would be used as 'blackmail' if he tried to ever embarrass her.

As for the gifts, it was pretty much the average thing- new guitar picks and strings, new clothes, gift cards for her favorite stores, and what not. She chuckled at the handmade picture frame from Cathy, which was painted in every color there was. But the really amazing gift came from Draco.

It was a new notebook for her music. The binding was purple leather with her very signature stitched into the top cover in light blue thread. When she asked him about it, Draco said that he had found a paper with her signature and had brough the book to a professional who duplicated her name by hand. It was so sweet and Anya found herself writing a song about a special someone that night.

,:~:,

"Are you sure I look alright?" Anya asked Draco who looked up from his bags. She was dressed in a light tan blouse and a long black skirt, her auburn hair pulled back with a ribbon. She had a pair of ballet flats on her feet and small silver earrings dangling from her ears. She had also taken her beloved lightning bolt necklace and tucked it away under her shirt in worry of what she would see at Malfoy Manor. After all, the whole family had been known for its relation to darker magic and she was the friend of the boy who had defeated Voldemort. "I mean, I don't want to make any bad impressions or anything." Her hands came to smooth down her skirt.

Draco sighed as he stood and walked over to her and took her hands in his. "Anya, you don't have to worry about anything. You've already met my father and he's the most difficult to please. Nothing bad will happen."

Anya gave a smile but it felt more of a grimace. Draco didn't know about how she had helped set Dobby, one of the Malfoy's house-elves, free back in second year. She doubted that Lucius Malfoy forgave so easily.

"Come on." Draco gave her an encouraging smile before grabbing his bags in one hand and grasped one of Anya's hands in the other, leading her downstairs to the living room. Anya's bags were already there, and her mother and father were standing beside the fireplace.

"Now you remember what I told you, right?" Nicole asked her daughter with teary eyes, causing the teenage girl to roll hers.

"Be polite and respectful, if I'm told to do something I should do it, and stay out of trouble. No worries Mom! I can handle myself just fine," she laughed. "I'm going to spend a few weeks with the Malfoys to see how life as a pureblood is. It's not like I'm getting married or something and never coming back."

"Let's hope not," Rick joked, discreetly eyeing how his daughter was holding the young wizard's hand. "I'm way too young to become a grandpa."

"Dad!" Anya hissed as he face grew warm with a blush. She yanked her hand out of Draco's and backed away. _'Why does he have to talk about stuff like_ that_ when Draco's around? Talk about embarrasing!'_

"I'm just kidding, pumpkin!" Rick laughed before he hugged his daughter. "Just be sure to keep in touch."

"Sure thing Dad," Anya beamed. And after she hugged her mother- where Rick had to pry his wife off the teen- she grabbed her bags and hopped into the fireplace beside Draco. And they disappeared in the green flames.

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><p><em><strong>MMM: Well, that's it for this year. Stay tuned for next week's update! Don't forget to review! And once again, Happy Birthday Evelyn!<br>**_

_**Nancy (aka megamatchmaker)  
><strong>_


	36. Year 4 Ch1

****_**MMM: Hi everyone! Well, here it is as promised! The beginning of year 4! And as promised, some more events with the summer program between Anya and Draco! Hope you all like this!  
><strong>_

_**Dislcaimer: Don't own Harry Potter. Wish I did.**_

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><p><strong>Ch. 36 Malfoy Manor<strong>

Anya was stunned with amazement as she followed Draco and stepped out of the fireplace of Malfoy Manor. Everything about the place screamed majestic and wealth. Beautifully woven carpets, high class paintings, and well-detailed furniture was everywhere. Velvet curtains were pulled open, allowing sunlight in through the very high windows. It was all so amazing.

"Do you like it?" Draco asked, receiving only a nod for an answer as the American witch looked around.

And then her eyes landed on the two other people in the room. Lucius Malfoy stood near the fireplace, dressed in his usual black robes and his silver snake walking stick in hand. Anya surpressed a shiver at the cold glare in his eyes- no doubt directed at her. And standing beside him was who Anya guessed Mrs. Malfoy. Anya thought she was a very lovely woman with her long blond hair pulled back in an elegant twist and light blue eyes gleaming with a calmness that almost made Anya forget about the older wizard in the room.

"Hello dear," Mrs. Malfoy smiled, stepping closer to the two teens and extended a hand to Anya. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you. I'm Narcissa, and I'm sure you've met my husband before." She looked over her shoulder. "Lucius... come welcome our guest."

Mr. Malfoy walked stiffly over to the fireplace, grasped Anya's hand, and shook it once before releasing it. Anya could tell he fought the urge to wipe his hand on his clothes, just as she was doing. His handshake left an unpleasant feeling on her skin.

Instead, she smiled and politely nodded her head. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Malfoy. And Mr. Malfoy, it's nice to see you again."

The older woman laughed as she waved it off. "Please dear, just 'Narcissa' will do. After all, you are a part of this family for the next few weeks. And I must say, I feel as though I already know a great deal about you Anya. Draco has talked about you quite often."

Anya's brow shot up to her hairline and she looked at the youngest blonde with an amused smile. "Did he now?" she asked, silently chuckling at the blush that formed on his face.

"Oh yes," Narcissa beamed. "I must say, he never stops talking about you."

She then turned to her son with a smile. "Draco dear, why don't you show Anya where she'll be staying? And then maybe show her around the manor? I'm sure she'd love to see your music room."

"Yes mother," Draco smiled, holding his arm out for Anya to take. "Shall we?"

"Sure," Anya replied. And as she was about to take her things, a loud crack errupted behind her, causing her to jump. She turned on her heel and found herself faced with a house-elf.

"Pinky will take Ms. Collins' bags to her room," the house-elf squeaked and before Anya could protest, she took the three bags in hand and disappeared with another crack.

"That wasn't necessary," Anya stated. "I could have brought my things up to my room myself."

"We Malfoys do not do things ourselves," Lucius sneered. "How idiotic."

Anya ducked her head and quickly followed Draco out of the room, the door closing behind just as Narcissa began to scold her husband.

"Are you alright?" Draco asked Anya, the concern clear on his pale face. Anya nodded meekly as she wiped her at her eyes once she realized she had been crying.

_'Oh, this is just great,'_ she thought bitterly. _'Not even five minutes here and I'm already wishing I was somewhere else. This is going to be a disaster.'_

"Hey," Draco cooed softly, pulling Anya's hand away from her face and replaced it with his own. "It's alright. I'm right here beside you. It'll be alright," he said, pulling her into his embrace and gently stroking her hair. Anya sighed through her tears and hugged Draco closer, inhaling the calming smell of his cologne and hair gel and the subtle hint of gardenias.

Once Anya was able to compose herself, she pulled back. "Thanks Draco. I guess I'm just so use to doing things myself that it still seems odd for someone else to do it all for me. I still feel weird when I find my bed made and my laundry is done when we're at Hogwarts."

"It's alright," Draco repeated. Then he leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead, causing Anya to blush at the show of affection. "Come on then, I'll show you the place."

,:~:,

Everything about the house was amazing. Anya's room was simply stunning with it's soft, moss green curtains and sheets, the rose-pattern in the iron setting of the canopy bed, and the perfectly polished marble fireplace in front of the two black leather arm chairs. The french doors that acted as windows led to her balcony where a magic staircase led directly to the garden. And her bathroom was bigger than the whole girl's dorm room in Gryffindor tower.

Draco showed her the library, the dining room, a spacious ballroom, the wine cellar, and even the old room that he said his mother had turned into his playroom as a child.

"And this is the music room," Draco announced as he opened the door.

Anya was stunned by all the different instruments in the room: a gold harp, violins, shining silver flutes, and a sleek black grand piano.

"Wow," Anya said in awe as she stepped into the room., her gaze danced over the instruments, taking in the splendor of it all. When she got to the piano, she sat down on the stool, her fingers hovering over the black and white keys.

"Do you play?" Draco asked her, and she shook her head.

"I tried when I was little, but I could never get it right. My fingers were too small, my feet couldn't reach the pedals, and I could hardly see over the keys," Anya laughed. But the laughter died on her lips when Draco came to sit down beside her and he began to play.

The melody was so sweet and calming that Anya could picture the very image in her mind. A grand ballroom filled with dozens of people, the most beautiful dresses she could ever imagine swishing around on the dance floor. A crystal chandelier hanging overhead lit the room with a soft lighting, adding even more beauty to the image. And Anya, dressed in the finest clothes as she danced with Draco.

"Would you like me to teach you?" Anya snapped out of her daydream to look at Draco. She blushed before giving a timid nod.

The next hour was spent with Draco showing Anya how to properly play the piano. At times where she got frustrated when she couldn't play the right notes, Draco would take her hands in his and guide her through it. More than once, Anya found herself leaning back into Draco's strong embrace. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him blush and smile to himself.

The sun was just setting when a loud crack sounded in the room. Looking up, the two teens saw Pinky standing by the doorway. "Begging your pardon, young Master Malfoy, Ms. Collins. But Pinky was ordered to find young wizards and announce that dinner was ready."

"Thank you Pinky. That'll be all," Draco said and the house-elf disappeared. "Shall we?" He stood straight and offered a hand to Anya.

"We shall," she smiled as she took his hand, her smile became wider when he carefully placed it in the crook of his arm and he led her downstairs.

,:~:,

Draco could sense that Anya was a little overwhelmed by the grandness of the meal. He himself was surprised when he saw what his mother had ordered the cooks to prepare: fresh lobster bisque, roasted fish with seasoned vegetables, tender fillet mignon, the best cheese spreads, and the most delicious chocolate mousse he'd ever tasted. It seemed that his mother had gone all out to help him impress the girl of his dreams.

"So Anya, tell us a little about yourself," his mother asked, sipping at her wine.

Anya looked down at her plate, pushing her food around. "Well, there isn't really much to talk about, I'm afraid."

"Well there must be something," his mother encouraged. "You're plans for the future? Personal interests? Friends?"

"Narcissa, really." Draco turned to the head of the table where his father sat. "If the girl doesn't want to talk, then do not pester her." Although he had been slightly nicer than he had earlier and apologized to Anya for his rudeness, it was obvious to Draco that his father was annoyed by the girl.

"Well... I have been thinking about pursuing a career as a healer," Anya spoke up. "I just think that there's a lot of things that could be done to help people and a healer is the most logical choice in my opinion."

"A healer? My, that sounds interesting." Draco smiled to himself at how quickly his mother had taken to Anya. "I'm afraid I could never have been able to work as a healer. I would become far too attached to my patients.

"Draco has said that he's wanted to study to become a musician." Draco almost spewed his drink when his mother turned the attention towards him. "I remember how he use to be so stubborn about his lessons. He was always fussing about how he didn't want to practice the piano or the violin."

"Actually, Draco had just been teaching me how to play the piano," Anya stated. "He's really good at it. I never knew he had that kind of talent," she added with a smile and Draco ducked his head to avoid blushing.

"Yes... but Draco does know that becoming a musician is hardly an ideal career choice," his father spoke up before taking a sip of his brandy.

"With all due respect Mr. Malfoy, the life of a musician is only difficult if one doesn't take the chance," Anya replied almost hotly.

"Young lady, I think I know my son far better than you will ever know him." The table soon grew quiet after Draco's father barked at Anya and the only sounds were the clinking of the silverware. A few minutes later, Draco's mother spoke up again.

"Draco darling, I know it's last minute, but I wanted to remind you that our annual summer party is tomorrow and I was thinking that maybe I should take Anya to town to look for a dress. You know, a little girl bonding?"

"That's entirely up to her, mother," Draco replied.

"Oh yes! Of course. How silly of me!" she laughed before turning to the younger witch. "What do you think Anya?"

Anya smiled. "That would be lovely Mrs. Mal- oops. I mean, Narcissa," she said, catching herself when she saw the amused look his mother gave her. "Thank you."

"It's not a problem, dear," the older woman replied with a smile. Then she stood up carefully. "Well, I think I might go spend some time in the sitting room. Lucius?" She held her hand out and waited until her husband came towards her and led her out.

"Draco? Do you think we could head up to the library for a bit? There were a couple books that I saw that looked really good," Anya asked.

"Of course." Draco was more than happy to please her. He was quick to cross to the other side of the table and escort her out.

"Your mom seems really nice," Anya commented. "Your dad... not so much. I think it has something to do with Dobby."

"You know Dobby?" Draco asked. "I haven't seen him in years! He was a really nice house-elf. Where has he been? "

Anya shrugged in response. "No clue. Back in second year, Harry and I... well, we kind of... set him free?" she cringed, as if waiting for shouting.

Draco would never- _could_ never- shout at this angel. She was so kind and caring, it warmed his heart whenever he saw her kindness. "It's not a problem," he said with a smile.

"You know, I think mother likes you. She hardly ever goes shopping- she usually has the designers come to her," he changed the topic, hoping that it would make Anya feel more comfortable. It seemed of work.

Anya laughed. "I think it's cool. I mean... it gives me a chance to get to know her a bit better. And it also means that I won't have to stick around your dad too much. I'm sorry, I know that sounds terrible... but there's just something about him that creeps me out. I guess it's just because he doesn't like me."

"He rarely likes people. I doubt it's you," he replied.

"Yeah, sure." Anya didn't seem convinced. "To be honest, I'm not a member of his fanclub either. Forget it- it's a muggle thing," she added when she realized that he didn't understand her joke.

The rest of the evening was relaxing. The two teens spent a comfortable time of silence in the library; Anya sitting at one end of a long couch in front of the fireplace with her legs drapped over Draco's lap, reading out loud from _ The Tale of Beedle the Bard_.

Eventually, Anya couldn't stop yawning and after some encouragement from Draco, she decided to go to bed.

"See you in the morning," he whispered to the tired girl.

"See you," she replied with another yawn before closing the door behind her.

* * *

><p><em><strong>MMM: Well? How was that?<br>**_

_**AC: Holy shit! I thought I was going to faint half the time. Mrs. Malfoy seems to like me at least. And shopping? I'm not really one for it.  
><strong>_

_**MMM: Well, you're going to have to. It's the next chapter.  
><strong>_

_**Anyway, thanks for reading! Tune in same time next week! Don't forget to review!  
><strong>_

_**Nancy (aka megamatchmaker)  
><strong>_


	37. Year 4 Ch2

****_**MMM: I am SO sorry everyone! I completely lost track of the week and I was out all day today so I forgot about the new chapter.  
><strong>_

_**Anyway, this is pretty much just another little filler. Nothing really special, but at the same time, VERY important. ... It's complicated. Well, I hope you like it.  
><strong>_

_**Disclaimer: HP isn't mine.**_

* * *

><p><strong>Ch. 37 Girl Time<strong>

Anya wobbled as she gained her footing. She had just experienced apparating for the first time with Draco's mother, and she personally didn't enjoy the feeling of being sucked through a straw. Her stomach lurched at the queazy feeling it had left and she had to fight to keep her breakfast down.

"So where would you like to go first?" Narcissa asked Anya as they strolled down the streets of the nearby village. It seemed so awkward, walking along the busy sidewalks beside a woman who seemed far to regal to be seen in a town like this.

Anya shrugged. "I'm not really sure. The last time I really went shopping for stuff that wasn't school related, my mom was too busy fretting over my mental health."

"Yes, Draco told me about that... I'm sorry to hear. To be petrified! I can only imagine how awful that had been," Narcissa replied.

"Thank you," was all Anya could really say.

Eventually, the two came across a very elegant looking store and despite Anya's protests once she saw a few of the tags in the windows, they stepped in. Dresses of the most stunning forms and finest materials Anya had ever seen lined the walls; she stepped around the shop very carefully, fearful of even touching the clothes without somehow ruining them.

"Oh! Mrs. Malfoy!" Anya turned in time to see a woman step up to them. Judging by the crisp white blouse and black pencil skirt, Anya guessed that this woman was the owner. "Why did you not tell me that you would be coming today? I would have taken to keeping the shop empty for you."

"It's quite alright, Margaret," Narcissa replied, placing her hand on the small of Anya's back and pushing her forward. "I'm having a small get-together this evening and we were looking for something splendid for Anya here."

"Of course! Please, come this way." Margaret led them to the back of the store where cream-colored chaises and a couch sat beside a table. Anya watched as the shop owner pulled something out of her sleeve and suddenly a pure silver tea set sat on the table.

,:~:,

The next hour was spent with Margaret bringing dress after dress for Anya to try on. Narcissa sat on one of the chairs and when Anya stepped out, she would voice her opinion on the dress.

"No... I don't quite think that is for you," Narcissa commented on the burgundy red dress. It was off the shoulders and hugged the top half of Anya's body, eventually flaring out at the waist and the skirt nearly reached the floor. Anya felt like a giant red velvet cupcake.

"Tell me about it," Anya mumbled as she looked in the mirror. The dress was way too dark for her liking and it made her hair look so dull. Not to mention that the skirt of the dress was so big and difficult to move around in. She doubted that she'd even be able to make it down the stairs without falling over. "Maybe we should just forget about it all. I can stay up in my room during the party-"

"Of course not. You'll get so bored being alone. Trust me, we'll find the perfect dress for you. Something that's sure to impress Draco," Narcissa replied.

"Umm... Narcissa?" Anya began.

"Yes dear? What is it?" the older witch asked as she looked at the different dresses on display.

"I just was wondering... never mind. It's nothing."

Narcissa sighed before sitting back down. She motioned for Anya to take a seat and once the teen manouvered around the several layers of cloth, she reached over and took Anya's hand in hers. "You don't have to be afraid dear. Whatever you have to tell me, I promise to keep a secret." She gave the girl an encouraging smile.

Anya took a deep breath and smiled back. "It's just that... lately, I've been seeing a big difference in Draco- a lot of differences, actually. I use to think that he was always this- oh I don't know... high class jerk?" she grimaced when she admitted this but Narcissa only nodded for her to continue. "But lately, I've been seeing this whole other side to him. One that's so sweet and warm and... and..."

"Well, I know that the behavior of children these days are far different then they were when I was your age, but I do think I know what it is you're talking about," Narcissa smiled. "You feel at ease around him? And when he holds your hand or smiles at you that certain way, you feel as though you're soaring above the clouds?" Anya nodded. "I know that feeling. I have it every day whenever I'm with Lucius."

"Do you mean that...?" Anya began to ask but the question died on her lips. She would never suspect that this would happen to her. And for Draco Malfoy, no less.

Narcissa nodded. "The first time a girl falls in love is always the scariest. You don't know what to expect, and you're afraid that it's all just some wonderful dream. But I know my son and the way that he looks at you is proof that he feels the same way about you."

"Wait a minute," Anya gasped. "I never said I was in love." She cringed when she realized how harsh that sounded to her ears.

But Narcissa smiled. "Are you sure?" When Anya said nothing in reply, she simply patted the girl's hand before she stood back up and walked over to look at the dresses. "Look at this!" She pulled one of the garments off the hanger to show Anya.

The dress was beautiful- there were no other words for it. It was a lovely hunter green satin gown with a halter neckline which scooped down almost to under the bustline. The bodice of the dress was form fitting with a black lace overlay with rose detail, reaching down to just above the kneecap where the mermaid skirt gave way to a sheer cloth that reached to mid calf.

"This is perfect!" Narcissa gushed as she handed the dress over to Anya. "Go try it on!"

Anya did as she was told and when she looked in the mirror, she was stunned at the reflection. She looked older and so elegant and its style made her look curvier than she really was. The color of the dress brought out the color of her hair and made her eyes look so vibrant. Sure, the back of the dress was a little too low for her usual tastes, reaching almost midway down her back, but the longer she had the dress on, the more comfortable she felt.

"You look lovely Anya," Narcissa said.

Suddenly, Margaret appeared. "These shoes would look lovely with that." She held a pair of black slingback, peep toe high heels in her hands. "And a pair of back seams add a touch of a sensual look to the ensemble."

Anya pulled on the pantyhose and slipped the high heels on her feet. She had to admit that the satin ribbons that tied behind her ankle in a bow did give a sense of symmetry to the one that held up the top of the dress. And the heel wasn't too high, giving her just enough height, making her legs seem longer.

"It's perfect. We'll take it!" Narcissa cried.

,:~:,

"You know, you didn't have to do all of this for me," Anya said as she and Narcissa finished having lunch. Not only had Narcissa bought the entire outfit for the party that night, but she went out of her way to go and bought several other lovely outfits for Anya: silk blouses, the most stylish skirts and pants, and three fantastic cocktail dresses. And enough pairs of shoes to go with each outfit.

"What do you mean?" Narcissa asked, paying for the meal before leading Anya across the street to a spa.

Anya gestured to the bags in her hands. "All of this! The new clothes, the spa... it's all too much."

Narcissa gave a rueful smile. "I'm sorry. It's just that I never got to have a daughter and I always wanted to see what it was like. I guess I just got carried away."

Anya smiled and before she could stop herself, she hugged the older witch. "Thank you though. I never did this sort of thing and I guess I just got overwhelmed by it all." She felt Narcissa return the hug and with another smile, the two witches walked into the spa.

Narcissa felt so light-hearted the more time she spent with the American witch. It was like having a daughter of her own and if her prayers were answered, this young girl may very well become a part of the Malfoy family one day.

She was beginning to understand how Draco had become so intrigued by this girl. Anya seemed so lovely in her own way; far better than any of the girls that she had seen around her son in the past. This one seemed to actually have a mind of her own, along with a very caring heart, and she wanted to make something of her life.

_'Oh, if only Lucius would see how happy Draco is with her!'_ Narcissa thought as she watched Anya have her hair and nails worked on.

Lucius Malfoy was a man that was sometimes hard to please. When he and his wife had learnt of the school's summer program, he had been appalled when he heard that his son had been selected for the exchange. He was even more so when he had learnt that Draco had been partnered with young Anya. Why, Narcissa did not know.

But what she did know was that Lucius would rather see their only son miserable and alone for the rest of his life before seeing Draco become involved with a muggleborn.

"Narcissa? Mrs. Malfoy?" Narcissa came back to the world of reality when she felt someone gently shake her shoulder. She looked up to see Anya looking down at her with concern. Anya's hair had been curled and her nails shaped to perfection and coated in clear polish. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine dear," she smiled as she stood up and paid the stylist. "Come on then. We should get going. The party will be starting in a little while." She waited until the teenager took her hand before apparating back to the manor.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AC: I had so much fun today! Mrs. Malfoy is really cool!<br>**_

_**NM: Well, thank you... 'Cool' is good, is it not?  
><strong>_

_**MMM: Yes Narcissa. 'Cool' is a compliment.  
><strong>_

_**Don't forget to review!  
><strong>_

_**Nancy (aka megamatchmaker)  
><strong>_


	38. Year 4 Ch3

_**MMM: Well, hi everyone! Got another chapter up for you wonderful readers. So here is the big Malfoy party and as you can see by the title, things will not go very smoothly.  
><strong>_

_**AC: Tell me about it. Why did you put me through all this again?**_

_**MMM: Because it's important to my story! It needs more drama!  
><strong>_

_**AC: More 'drama'? My life has been practically nothing but a horror/soap opera from day 1 and you wanted to add 'more drama'?  
><strong>_

_**MMM: Yes! Now let the readers read!  
><strong>_

_**As usual, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Draco, and all those wonderful characters from the Harry Potter world do not belong to me.**_

_**PS- there is going to be a rather darker moment in my story in this chapter. I'll let you know when that happens.  
><strong>_

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><p><strong>Ch. 38 Party Disasters<strong>

When Anya and Narcissa appeared back in the manor, Anya barely had time to dodge out of the way as a servant came bustling through. It was so hard to believe that in the matter of only two hours, the entire ballroom had been prepared for the evening. Crystal vases filled with white roses were on every surface, a silver fountain with the Malfoy family crest sat off to the side, and floating candles hung just out of reach above the dance floor. It was perfect.

"Mother, Anya, there you are. The guests will be arriving any second." Anya heard Draco speak up, but before she could turn towards him, Narcissa took her by the shoulders and hid her behind the door. "What are you doing?"

"Anya still needs to get ready for the party. You can speak with her later once she's finished," Narcissa replied and with that, she took Anya by the hand and led her upstairs to the master bedroom.

Once the door was closed to the bedroom, Narcissa handed the black garmet bag to the younger witch. "Why don't you go change in the bathroom and I'll help you with your make-up?" Anya smiled at Narcissa and dashed through the bathroom door. Once she had everything on, she stepped back out.

Narcissa stood by her vanity table, already dressed in a simple strapless, floor-length black dress, her hair pulled back to show the string of pearls around her neck and smaller dew drop pearls in her ears. She smiled at the teen when she came back into the room and gestured to the seat in front of the mirror. Anya sat down and she immediately got to work, turning Anya away from the mirror. A few minutes later, she let Anya see her reflection.

Anya was shocked at how simple and yet how stunning the make-up was. A cream eye shadow covered her lids, her eyelashes darkened with mascara and it made her eyes pop. A very light blush was swept across her cheeks seeing as they were already a rosy color, and a coral rose color stained her lips.

"Wow," Anya whispered, hardly even recognizing the girl in the mirror. "Thank you so much Narcissa. I look so..."

"Beautiful?" Narcissa offered, leaning down to look at the girl's reflection in the mirror. Anya just nodded. "I didn't need to do much to enhance what you already have. Beauty is not skin deep but the person behind the skin. Take the necklace you're wearing." She motioned at the silver chain around Anya's neck. "It has a beauty all of its own."

Anya's hand came up to the necklace, pulling the chain out until the lightning bolt pendant was visible. "I... I think it would be best if I take this off for now. Just to keep it safe," she said. Judging by Narcissa's expression however, Anya knew that the older woman knew the real reason behind her decision.

And ever so reluctantly, Anya reached behind her head and undid the clasp on the necklace. This necklace had been around her neck for three years already and to feel it gone made her almost feel bare.

Anya was curious when Narcissa stepped away and walked into the large closet, returning moments later with a carved wood box. But she said nothing as the woman sat the box down on the vanity table and began sorting through its contents. When she found what she must have been looking for, she smiled and extracted a small black velvet pouch. She took Anya's hand and shook the contents of the bag into her awaiting palm.

The contents were a beautiful pair of earrings and a necklace. The earrings were dangling emerald teardrops about the size of Anya's thumbnail with three smaller diamond drops hanging from the end, all set in a finely woven silver pattern. The necklace, though simple, was equally as stunning: a very thin snake chain with a pea sized emerald hanging on the end.

"These were given to me by my mother when I was about your age," Narcissa explained, taking the necklace from Anya and fastening it around the girl's neck, the emerald coming to rest just between her collarbone. "I would like you to have them."

Anya gasped and spun on the chair. "I can't take these! They're yours!"

Narcissa laughed. "And what will I do with them? Leave them to sit here in my jewelry box where they shall collect dust? That hardly seems logical."

"But what about nieces, or a future daughter-in-law? Grandchildren?" Anya countered, not even noticing the twinkle in the other witch's eyes as she said that.

Instead, Narcissa picked up a pair of long black gloves and pulled them up her arms. "Why don't you put those earrings in and bring your necklace back to your room and then come downstairs?" And with that, she left.

,:~:,

"Drakie, are you even listening to me?" Draco tried not to roll his eyes at the annoying witch in front of him. Instead of answering Pansy, he took another sip of the punch in his hand, tugged at the collar of his tuxedo and looked around the ballroom.

His father was at the other end of the room talking with the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, who seemed more interested in his brandy than anything his father had to say. It was then that he noticed his mother had finally arrived, playing the role of gracious hostess as she took her place beside her husband.

"Will you excuse me?" Draco asked, leaving before Pansy could say anything in protest. He dodged around the guests as he headed towards his parents. "Minister, it's wonderful to see you again. Mother, you look lovely as always. Father," he greeted the three adults. "Mother, have you seen Anya yet?"

Narcissa just smiled, accepting a glass of champagne from a passing server as she nodded towards the stairs. Draco turned and he felt all the air in his lungs escape.

Standing at the top of the stairs was Anya, dressed like the very angel that she was. The lighting from the candles made her hair shine red and her skin glow as if it were lit by the very moon itself.

When she spotted him amongst the crowd, he could see her smile as she carefully and gracefully decended the stairs. Draco walked at the same pace and soon found himself standing at the bottom of the stairs, staring up at the beautiful girl before him.

"Good evening Mr. Malfoy," Anya said politely.

Draco smiled. "Good evening Ms. Collins," he replied as he took her hand and brought it up to his lips, pressing a kiss to her knuckles. He smiled more when he saw her blush intensify and he brought her hand into the crook of his arm and led her around the room.

"Draco!" The blonde turned to look at who had just called him and he had to surpress a shudder of disgust. Marcus Flint, the captain of the Slytherin team came strutting up towards the two younger wizards. Draco had never liked Flint. He was known for being too forward towards most of the girls at school and had even be accused of physical assault against the ones who hadn't accepted his advances. The worse part of it was that he had to repeat one of his years so Draco was stuck with him for another year.

"Well, well, well... what do we have here?" Flint smirked, his eyes roaming over Anya's figure more than once and spending far too much times in certain areas. "I see you've cleaned up rather nicely Collins. Eager to see me, were you?"

Anya leaned closer towards Draco and the blonde had to resist the urge to carry her away from the pervert. "Don't flatter yourself Flint," she said, her voice almost breaking from fear.

Flint wagged his finger at her. "Tsk, tsk. Mind your manners Collins. You forget- you're amongst many _pureblood_ families. You wouldn't want someone to let it _slip_ about who you really are, now do you?"

"Are you threatening her?" Draco growled. _'If he so much lays a finger on her...'_

Flint just smirked again. "That all depends on Collins." He grabbed a couple champagne flutes from a passing tray. He held one out to Anya. "Drink?"

"No thank you," she replied.

Draco needed to get her as far away from Flint as possible. He heard about how Flint like his alcohol too much and just how horrible he could really get. Turning back to the girl beside him, he offered a smile. "Care to dance?" Once she smiled, he led her away to the dance floor.

,:~:,

Anya began to feel more relaxed now that she was away from the older Slytherin student. She let out a sigh as she leaned her head on Draco's shoulder, allowing him to waltz her around the dance floor. Surprisingly, he was a very good dancer.

"Are you alright?" Draco asked after a few dances. Anya looked up into eyes of liquid silver and nodded. "Good... I'm sorry about that bastard. The only reason he's here is because of his parents being so close with my father," Draco sighed, pulling her closer to him.

"I'll be alright. I just wish we didn't have to go through another year with him." She pulled a face at the thought of it.

Draco just gave her another smile and twirled her away before bringing her closer. He surprised her even more when he dropped her into a dip. She blushed as she felt the warmth of his skin against her, his thumbs brushing back and forth against the exposed skin of her back. When they realized that the music had stopped, he pulled her back up and led her away from the dance floor.

"I'll go get us some drinks," he said, giving her hand another kiss before making his way to the table. Anya smiled to herself, her thumb brushing across the spot on her other hand that Draco had just kissed.

"Ugh! How pathetic!" Anya looked up to see Pansy standing nearby, swirling her drink around in the crystal glass. The bright red dress she was wearing did nothing for her but make her look cheap... if it weren't for the several pieces of diamonds and rubies she wore around her neck, wrists and in her ears. "Do you really think that you would have a chance with him?"

"What are you talking about Parkinson?" Anya sighed.

Pansy smirked as she stepped closer to the other witch. "I mean you being with Draco. As if _you _could ever have a chance!" the dark haired girl whispered into her ear. "You two are just too different. It's obvious that you don't really belong in his world."

"'His world' is just as much as my world. I am a witch too, or have you forgotten?" Anya shot back.

Pansy scoffed. "As if! You hardly know anything about the wizarding world and here you are, trying to act as if it's all you've ever known. You can put on a pretty dress and cover your face with as much make-up as you want... Act the part all you want to, but underneath all that, you're still the mudblood brat from America- a commoner. You'll never fit in." Pleased with the affect her words had left, she turned to leave. But not before driving the final nail into the coffin.

"Oh! And did I forget to mention? Pureblood families tend to have arranged marriages, and _I_ was the one promised to Draco when we were born." And with that, she was gone.

Anya stood there in silence. She looked back behind her to see her reflection in the window and she silently cursed herself. The dress, the jewelry, everything was just this big illusion for her to take part of. For once, Pansy was right. No matter what she could do to chance her appearance, nothing could chance the main thing that could make her acceptable in Draco's world- her blood status.

"Here you are." Anya snapped out of her thoughts to see Draco standing in front of her with two glasses of punch. She took the glass he offered but didn't drink any. All she could hear and see were Pansy's words from before. "Anya, is everything alright?" Draco asked.

"Yeah... I'm fine," she replied unconvincingly.

"No you're not. You're as white as a sheet," Draco commented, taking her free hand in his. "And you're hands are like ice. What happened? Did someone do something to you?"

Anya ducked her head. She placed her un-touched drink down on a nearby table. "Excuse me..." she whispered, tugging her hand away from him and making a beeline to the veranda.

The night air was cool against her bare skin and Anya shivered.

"What is the matter with me?" she whispered to herself, tears silently slipping down her face. "I don't let things like this get to me, so why am I listening to Parkinson?"

"It is quite the mystery," a voice sounded from the shadows and Anya turned on her heel to see Flint stumble closer. Even that far from him, she could smell the alcohol on his breath.

_ 'He's drunk,'_ she thought worriedly.

"So Collins... you enjoying yourself?"

"Get lost Flint. I'm not in the mood to put up with you of all people," Anya hissed.

"You know, I don't think I will," he grinned, coming to stand beside her. He raised a hand and trailed a finger down her arm. "You look very sexy in that dress Collins... but I bet you'd look even better with it _off_."

Anya slapped his hand away. "Keep your hands off me!" she shouted as she backed away. Unfortunately, she could only go so far until she backed up into the railing and the only way off the veranda was through the door she had come out of, which was behind the older Slytherin. There was a staircase that led down towards the garden, but she would have to run past Flint to get to it.

_**(AN: Heads up! Darker scene just around the corner!)**_

A flash of anger sparked in his eyes and before Anya could stop him, he backhanded her across the cheek with a powerful drunk strength. Anya could taste the blood that spilled from the cut inside of her cheek and the force behind the slap had her disoriented. While Anya tried to gain back her focus, he grabbed a fistful of her hair and yanked hard while his other hand clamped down hard on her hip and pulled he body closer to his. Anya let out a gasp of pain and struggled to wrestle the boy off of her, but even in his drunken state, he was still stronger than her. He pushed himself closer to her and she could feel a certain part of his person that seemed _pleased _with her struggling.

"How about we have a little party of our own out here?" Flint whispered in her ear, his hand in her hair coming down to her neck where he ripped at the ribbons holding her dress in place while the one on her hip reached down and ripped at the skirt. Anya's struggling intensified, her eyes clenched tight as she screamed.

,:~:,

Draco looked down at the unconcious form that was Marcus Flint, his anger towards the older boy still humming though his veins like fire.

He had been worried about Anya when she had taken off the way she had. He tried to follow her, but Pansy got in his way and wouldn't let him leave. He eventually had to push her away from him and dodged around her.

When he saw the older Slytherin boy trying to force himself on Anya, Draco saw red. Momentarily forgetting that he had his wand in his pocket, Draco ran at Flint full force, pushing him away from the American witch and effectively knocking the drunk to the ground. Then he just started throwing punch after punch at the guy's face.

Breathing heavily, Draco got up from the ground and turned to look at Anya. The girl was curled up in a ball on the cold stones, hugging her body as her cries shook her entire being. She held the top of her dress up for the ribbons had been torn, a large slit was ripped up the side of the skirt to her waist, her hair had been harshly yanked free of its style and her eyes darted back and forth from Flint's unconcious form and himself. Being very causious, Draco walked over to her and gently placed a hand on her shoulder. She looked up and Draco felt his heart clench painfully in his chest when he saw the fear and humiliation in her violet eyes.

"Draco..." she whispered before throwing herself into his chest, her tears soaking his black jacket as her small hands clutched at his shirt. He pulled her close and allowed her to cry on his shoulder.

A crack sounded, causing Anya to flinch and bury her face further into his chest. Draco looked up to see Pinky standing there. "Pinky heard Ms. Collins screaming. Is Ms. Collins alright?"

"Not really. Pinky, would you please go to Anya's room and prepare some of her clothes for her? We won't be attending the party for the rest of the evening." He nodded towards the unconcious boy. "And take care of that trash there once you're done."

Pinky bowed low and with another crack, she was gone.

A few minutes passed by until Anya's sobs slowly died. Knowing that they had to leave before Flint woke up, Draco kept one arm around Anya's shoulders while hooking the other under her knees and he picked her up. Avoiding the large crowd just inside the ballroom, Draco carried her down the stairs and through the garden to her balcony. The staircase appeared as he grew closer and he carefully brought her up to her room.

He gently set her down on her feet and saw Pinky setting out a clean pair of long black sweatpants and a long sleeved shirt on the bed. "Thank you Pinky," Draco said before the house-elf exited by the door. Then he turned his attention back to Anya and nodded towards the clothes. "I'll just give you some privacy," he added before slipping into the bathroom.

Once she was done, she knocked on the door and Draco opened it to see her look broken and he hated it. How could someone hurt this beautiful girl so much? Break her spirit? He wanted to go back and do far worse to Flint than he had done, but he knew that Anya needed him more. He led her to the bathroom and took a clean cloth, wet it, and gently wiped at her face to remove the ruined make-up and tears before bringing her back to her room.

Sitting her down in front of him, he grabbed the brush off the bedside table and gently brushed out her hair until it hung free of all tangles. When he set the brush back down, his fingers brushed against something cold.

It was her lightning bolt necklace. Draco had seen her wear it everyday at school. _'Is it from Potter? No... Weasley and Granger have one too and so does he. A friendship necklace, then?'_ But he remembered how much more confident Anya was when she wore it and he knew it meant more than that.

And so he removed the necklace and earrings that Anya was already wearing and fastened the other necklace around her neck. Anya let out a tiny gasp, her hand coming up to clutch at the pendant that was back around her neck. She turned to stare at Draco and he offered a smile. "I know it's important to you."

Anya hugged him tightly and he returned the gesture. Eventually, Anya started yawning and dozed off leaning against his chest. Draco carefully moved to tuck her in, but as he went to leave, she grabbed his hand.

"Please don't leave," she begged.

Draco let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding before he leaned down and kissed her forehead. "Never," he whispered before standing back up. He quickly shedded his jacket and bowtie, kicking his shoes off as well. Anya held up the comforter for him and he slipped in to the bed. She moved closer to his side, one arm wrapping around his waist while her free hand clutched at her necklace. Draco wrapped his arms around her waist protectively, hiding the angel from the evils in the world. He reached one hand up and smoothed her hair away from her face as he hummed an old lullaby that his mother use to sing to him as a child. It wasn't long before sleep took them both.

* * *

><p><em><strong>MMM: Well, there you have it.<strong>_

_**AC: I was almost RAPED? WHAT THE HELL IS THE MATTER WITH YOU?  
><strong>_

_**MMM: I said that this story was going to have some darker scenes.  
><strong>_

_**AC: I thought you meant later on when people start dying or something!  
><strong>_

_**MMM: I'm sorry! I'll try and make it up to you!  
><strong>_

_**AC: How?  
><strong>_

_**MMM: ...How about I promise that Flint will be one of those names on the lists of deaths? Will that make you feel better?  
><strong>_

_**AC: *thinks about it* Fine... but I get to be the one that kills him, alright?  
><strong>_

_**MMM: Hmm... Can I answer with a 'maybe'? I kind of had other plans for that.  
><strong>_

_**AC: For now. *stomps away*  
><strong>_

_**MMM: Yikes... Please don't forget to review!  
><strong>_

_**Nancy (aka megamatchmaker)  
><strong>_


	39. Year 4 Ch4

_**MMM: I am SO sorry, everyone! I just completely forgot about this last week and I just had a couple things on my mind. I totally blanked. I messed up. Also, I would like to say that I am going to put this story on hold for a little while because I'm a little behind on the chapters. I'm almost out of them and if I run out, then I'm going to get frustrated with myself which leads to having difficulty writing and then eventually I just discontinue the story. It has happened before.  
><strong>_

_**AC: Are you finished now? I think the people want to actually get to the story- no offense.  
><strong>_

_**MMM: Why is it that whenever people say 'no offense', it always if offenseful?  
><strong>_

_**Anyway, this series is not mine. Only the lead female character and anything related to her.**_

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><p><strong>Ch. 39 Bulgaria Vs. Ireland<strong>

Ever since the party two weeks ago, Draco hadn't let Anya out of his sight once. He could see in her violet eyes just how badly the whole event had shaken her to her core. He remembered waking up almost every night afterwards to her terrified cries, rushing into her room, and he'd hold her close as he tried to chase the haunting memories of Flint forcing himself on her from her mind.

Not that his father ever went out of his way to try and help. Whenever something happened that didn't go his way, Lucius would go on about how her little 'stunt' had ruined the evening and destroyed the link between the two powerful pureblood families. Draco wanted to tear his father limb from limb.

"So..." Anya began, causing Draco's head to snap to attention. She hadn't said anything since that night except when she begged and pleaded until Narcissa and Draco promised not to tell her parents about what had happened, even though they both thought the Collins should know. Draco was relieved to hear her speak again, but the twisting pain in his stomach didn't leave. For Anya's voice, which once held a magical melody and laughter, was now cold and distant, as if she wasn't even there. It was like talking to a ghost.

"I was thinking..." she continued. "Maybe I should just head back home for the rest of the summer. I mean let's face it- no one wanted me here in the first place. Your dad could always just make up some excuse so you wouldn't get in trouble or anything."

Draco stopped in his tracks, causing Anya to do the same seeing as he was holding her hand. "How could you even think that? Of course we want you here! Sure, Father isn't pleased about it, but nothing pleases him! And Mother- she positively adores you! And I l- I mean... I care about you..." he finished lamely. He didn't want this to be how he declared his love to her, not when she was thinking of leaving him. He wanted it to be perfect like in those old movies she loved so much: a big, grand gesture of adoration and respect.

But how could he bring back the girl he loved? She had formed such a thick layer of ice around her heart that he wasn't sure he'd ever get her back.

That's when he thought of it. "Come with me," he whispered, tugging on her hand to make her follow him. With a flick of his wand and a mutter of a spell, his Nimbus Two Thousand and One came zooming out of his bedroom window and he caught it with his free hand. He let go of Anya's hand to mount it before holding his out to her again. "Shall we?" He almost died of relief when he saw the beginning of a small smile appear on her face.

"I can't ride normally," she joked, motioning to the black knee length skirt she was wearing. "And I'll lose my shoes." She wiggled her toes to emphasize the sandals she had on.

"We can always come back for them later," Draco replied. "Come on."

And after she kicked her shoes off and hooked them on her fingers and was safely sitting sideways on the broom in front of him, his arms forming a protective cage around her, they took off.

They flew above the grounds and over trees, and Draco saw the smile on Anya's face grow and the light return in her eyes. The warmth and happiness returned to her laugh as they sailed over the pond and she dipped her toes into the clear waters, causing drops of water to fly up and sparkle in the sunlight. When they flew over the flower patch, he reached down and plucked one from the ground.

"Milady," he grinned as he held it in front of her.

Anya's eyes twinkled with knowledge, almost as if she knew something. "Why thank you, kind sir," she said as she accepted the white rose, giving him a quick peck on the cheek. And Draco knew he had his Anya back.

,:~:,

"Draco, I have some exciting news for you," Lucius announced to his son at the dinner table later that day. "The Minister of Magic has invited us to sit with him at the final match for the Quidditch World Cup this Saturday."

Anya could see the excitement in Draco's eyes. She felt like such an idiot for making him worry so much about her and all her problems. She had faced giant killer snakes and evil wizards and she let herself fall to pieces because of one guy. She silently vowed that she would personally make Flint pray to leave Hogwarts long before his final year was finished. _'I'll be asking Fred and George for their help on this mission.'_

"Sounds wonderful dear. I hope you three enjoy yourselves," Narcissa replied. Three sets of eyes turned to look at her with confusion. "Lucius, you know that I was never one for the sport. Why should I go and waste a perfectly good ticket when we have someone else who I'm sure would love to go see the match?" She waved her hand towards Anya, who was avoiding the glare sent her way by the older wizard.

"Won't you get lonely Narcissa?" Anya asked her.

But Narcissa waved it off with a laugh. "It's perfectly alright Anya. I rather enjoy the peace and quiet every now and then, any how."

And so Anya found herself with the two male Malfoys on the camping grounds to the Quidditch pitch early Saturday morning. As everything else that belonged to the pureblood family, the Malfoy tent was magically altered so that the inside was the size of five banquet halls and all the items inside in various shades of silver, black, and green and sporting the family crest. And of course, what would it be without a few house-elf servants running around?

"Father, we'll take a look around for a while before the game," Draco announced and after a curt nod from his father, he took Anya's hand and led her out of the tent.

The camping grounds were like nothing Anya had ever seen before. Everywhere she looked, she saw someone sporting the colors of their favorite team: the green and white of the of Ireland's National Team or the red and black of the Vratsa Vultures of Bulgaria.

"Do you want something to drink?" Draco asked her, nodding his head towards a nearby vendor that was selling chilled pumpkin juice. Anya just shook her head. He simply shrugged before continuing on his way with her in tow.

"Where exactly are we going?" Anya asked.

"It's a surprise," was all Draco said with a smile thrown over his shoulder at her.

He kept leading her through the thick of the crowd until they finally reached the opposite end of the camping grounds. They were facing the back a very moldy-looking tent which almost looked ready to topple over and Anya gave Draco a confused look. But all he did was shrug once more before gently pushing on her back to make her walk around to the front. When they did, she couldn't help but squeal.

"Harry! Ron! Hermione!" Anya cheered before she threw herself into the arms of her friends. "Oh my God, I'm so happy to see you guys!"

"Anya!" She looked over to the entrance of the tent to see the flap open to reveal Ron's older twin brothers, Fred and George as they climbed out. "We thought we heard your voice out here!" Fred laughed as they both picked her up and attacked her with hugs from both sides.

"Lookie here, brother!" George exclaimed once they pulled away to let Anya breathe. "Seems out little Ms. Collins has had a little wardrobe change!" He pinched at the sleeve of her cashmere sweater. "Enjoying the life of a Malfoy, are we?" he teased.

At the mention of that name, Anya looked around to see where the young blonde had gone off to, but he was no where to be found. But she didn't have long to look before Ron's sister and father came out of the tent to greet the American girl.

The next few hours were spent talking about how things had been going. Anya was hounded with hundreds of questions about living with Draco and she only kept to certain things. After all, Anya was still trying to figure out what her feelings towards the Malfoy heir were and she didn't want to jinx it or anything.

,:~:,

"There you are!" Anya stopped and turned to look at the older wizard. Though his posture was almost of regal stature and his facial expression was neutral, she could see the seething anger that burned in Lucius Malfoy's eyes. Behind him, Anya saw Draco throw an apologetic glance at her. "Come on then- we'll be late," he nearly barked at her. He didn't even wait to see if she or his son were following and began to walk off.

"Malfoy," Harry sneered at the blonde.

"Potter," Draco replied with a curt nod and then giving Anya a warm smile. "You ready to go?" he asked her.

"Go? Go where?" Hermione spoke up.

Anya turned to give her a sheepish smile. "Well um... we were kind of... invited to sit in the Minister's box."

"That's wonderful then! We're right beside it one level up!" Mr. Weasley replied. "We'll see you there!" And with that, he ushered his group up the stairs to their seats.

Anya turned back to the pureblood wizard with a critical eye. "You know... you could have been a little nicer to my friends," she said. "It's not like they have a disease or something." To Anya surprise and slight delight, he did look apologetic about it, so she sighed and waved it off.

When they finally trugged up all the steps, Lucius was already in deep conversation with the Minister, Cornelius Fudge. The older gentleman's eyes caught sight of the two teens and he beamed at them. "Ah! Draco, it's wonderful to see you, my boy!"

"Good evening, Minister. Pleasure to see you again too," Draco replied politely. He stepped back and gently pressed his hand against Anya's back to push her forwards. "May I introduce my... friend, Anya Collins."

Anya blushed under the attention she was now receiving from the Minister of Magic himself. She knew it was mostly just for show: how he heard how talented she was at school, how her grades were remarkabe for a girl her age- that sort of thing. She inwardly winced at the comment made at her blood status but she kept her cool through it all.

The game was really amazing. Even after three years of being thrown into the world of magic, Anya was always amazed about what new experiences it had to offer. The leprechaun gold that showered over the stadium as the Irish team came onto the pitch along with the Bulgarians' mascots, the Veelas- beautiful feminine creatures that soon would turn bird-like with beaks and scaly wings when angered.

In the end, Ireland won- even though Viktor Krum, the Bulgarian Seeker, had caught the snitch- and Anya and Draco went for another walk along the camping grounds, laughing and sometimes joining in on the celebration of the Irish team's victory.

,:~:,

"I had a lot of fun today Draco," Anya announced as they slipped away from the campfire of dancing folk.

"I'm glad," Draco practically glowed with pride at seeing her so happy. He reached out his hand and when she made no move against it, he laced his fingers through hers. "What is it?" he asked when she chuckled.

Anya shrugged. "I just find it kind of funny. I mean, we've known each other for over three years- you being pretty much the rival of my close friend and my house- and yet in the past few weeks, I feel more close to you than any of my friends. It's almost like you've known me forever."

What she didn't know was that he did know more about her than most people- even things she probably didn't realise she would do. Like how whenever she focused hard on something, she would twist her hair around her finger and bite the inside of her cheek. Or how she always seemed to avoid any cracks in the ground she was walking on and fiddle with her earring and look down at the ground when she was embarrassed. He could always hear her humming along to some melody that drifted through her mind. Sometimes, he would even see her dancing through the halls of Hogwarts when she thought no one was looking. He knew that she loved white flowers for their symbol of purity, and how she was adventurous- wanting to visit each continent at least once in her lifetime. And how she thought every day was a treasure that was to be cherished.

Every little thing about her was just another piece to the puzzle that was Anya Collins, and Draco felt himself falling for her more with every new clue.

_'Should I tell her now?'_ he thought as they quietly walked along the path near the woods. _'It's not the perfect situation I had hoped to give her, but still...'_

"Did you hear something?" Anya asked, snapping Draco out of his thoughts. Now that she mentioned it, he did hear something. When they turned around to face the campsite, he felt what little color he had in his face drain away.

Tents were burning, the fabrics being burned away by the orange and yellow flames. Smoke hovered over the campsite like a dark cloud... but the thing that shook Draco to the core was what was the cause of it.

Death Eaters. A large crowd of the hooded figures marched across the grounds, sparks of fire shooting from their wands and green mists holding innocent muggles twenty feet in the air. People were screaming as they tried to get away and those that stayed to fight were quickly losing the battle.

"Oh my God!" Anya gasped and before Draco could do anything to stop her, she ran towards the danger, wand drawn and ready to fight. But luckily for him, his Quidditch training made him the faster runner and he was able to catch up with her before she got too close.

"Anya, we have to get to safety!" Draco insisted.

"But the others-" She tried to protest.

"-Will be alright! But it won't do them any good if you get hurt in the process!" Draco finished, taking her by the hand to lead her away.

Just as they were about to head the way they had just come from, one of the Death Eaters noticed them.

Draco wasted no time before he put himself between the Death Eater and Anya and yelled for her to run, promising that he would follow close behind. When he was sure that she was safe, he rounded on the hooded figure. "Father, what are you doing?" he hissed.

A gloved hand came up to remove the mask and reveal a smirking Lucius Malfoy. "It will all become clear soon enough," was all he said before he placed the mask back and went back to creating mayhem and havoc. Draco stood there stunned for a moment before he hurried off to find Anya and keep her safe.

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><p><em><strong>MMM: Well, that's it for now! When I finish getting back up to speed, I'll post a new chapter and let you know.<strong>_

_**Don't forget to review!  
><strong>_

_**Nancy (aka megamatchmaker)  
><strong>_


	40. Year 4 Ch5

_**MMM: Sorry for the delay, you guys! Like I said in the last chapter, I was really behind and I needed some time to get back ahead or else the story could have gone belly-up. But luckily, that won't be happening. So anyway, I apologize again for making you have to wait so long.**_**  
><strong>

_**AC: Hey everyone! Did you miss me?  
><strong>_

_**DM: And me?  
><strong>_

_**HP, HG, & RW: And us?  
><strong>_

_**MMM: Ok guys! Take your places! *waits for characters to stop running around* And action!  
><strong>_

_**Disclaimer: Don't own HP.**_

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><p><strong>Ch. 40 And We're Back<strong>

After the frightening evening at the Quidditch World Cup, Anya had returned to the safety of her home back in the States. Her mom and dad were of course scared senseless when they read about the events that took place that night in a copy of the Daily Prophet. Even after telling them that she had been safely hiding in the woods with Draco, Anya still had a hard time convincing them about it.

And then there was Vi, her friend and neighbor. Ever since Anya got back from England, the dark haired Irish beauty was relentless with questions about the time she spent with the Malfoy family.

"So nothing happened between you two while you were there?" Vi asked with a skeptical look, causing Anya to once again roll her eyes.

"No, for the hundreth time- nothing happened," Anya huffed, twirling the straw around in her milkshake before she began to blow bubbles into the cool drink.

But Anya was only half lying. Sure, there wasn't any lip-locking or whispers of sweet nothings between the two teens... but Anya couldn't mistake the feeling of butterflies in her stomach at the mere mention of the blonde wizard. She would find herself laying awake in bed some nights, visions of softer grey eyes and that genuine smile she'd seen sent only in her direction.

Her only real concern was how her friends would react to the news that she was falling for the one and only Draco Malfoy. Hermione would probably not even believe it, Ron would probably faint if he didn't go in to a fit the way she was sure Harry would. Anya could imagine the boys ranting and maybe even wonder if she was going mental.

"So what tricks are you planning for this year?" Vi asked from her spot on the bed, watching as her friend walked back and forth as she cleaned up the few things that needed cleaning and packed her trunk with everything she needed for the school year. "There will be plenty of new victims to choose from this year."

"What are you talking about?" Anya asked with a raised eyebrow as she tossed a balled up pair of dirty jeans into the hamper like a basketball. "Yes! Two points!" she joked as it bounced off the back wall and into the wicker basket.

"Have you ever heard about the Triwizard Tournament?" Vi asked.

Anya shrugged. "Not really. All I heard was that it was some sort of competition thing. Pretty intense stuff too."

"Well, it's a very special and famous contest that takes place every five years. Three schools are selected at random and one student is chosen from each school to participate as their champion. The Triwizard Tournament consists of three challenges that sort of test the champions: their magical prowess, their daring, their powers of deduction, and their ability to cope with danger. It's pretty hard core and the champions almost always cheat in some way."

"So let me see if I get this straight," Anya began, plopping down on the end of the bed and leaned back on her arms. "The champions- people who are _suppose_ to do all this on their own- cheat when they're doing some dangerous task that could get their asses killed, and no one gives them a hard time?"

"Yup!"

Anya shook her head. "I will never properly understand the wizarding world, will I?"

"Nope!" Vi chuckled before she snatched the pillow from behind her and smacked Anya in the face.

"Hey!" Anya chuckled as she dodged another attack from her friend. "Knock it off, will you?"

"That's what I'm trying to do!" Vi joked, taking another swing.

Anya rolled her eyes before she grabbed the pillow and yanked it out of her friend's hands. "I'm serious! Hermione said she was going to be here by one and I don't want to miss the movie!" Dumping the pillow back on the bed, the two witches dashed out of the room and downstairs as they heard the sound of their British friend arriving from the living room fireplace.

,:~:,

The last few days of summer break passed by with no serious issues in the wizarding world. The Daily Prophet was still issuing front page articles about the Dark Mark that had been seen in the sky above the ruins of the camping grounds of the Quidditch World Cup, but the Ministry of Magic was no closer to figuring out who had done it.

And so Anya was back on the Hogwarts Express with her friends, anxiously awaiting the return to the school that was her second home.

"Wasn't there any security?" Hermione asked. Anya looked away from her sketch pad she had balanced on her lap, a semi-decent drawing of her and her friends smiling up at her, and turned to see Ron popping several pieces of Drooble's bubble gum in his mouth.

"Loads- according to Dad. That's what got them all so worried about. It happened right under their noses," Ron said before he started blowing bubbles in various hues of blue and purple. Anya chuckled, trying to pop one with her pencil but of course, it didn't work. She turned to look at Harry, who was rubbing at his forehead.

"You ok there Harry?" she asked him.

Harry dropped his hand back into his lap and smiled at the American teen. "I'm fine."

Hermione wasn't convinced though. "It's hurting again, isn't it? Your scar." She leaned forward and gave the dark haired wizard a look. "You know Sirius will want to know about this. What you saw at the World Cup and the dreams."

"Dreams? What dreams?" Anya asked.

So Harry explained how he had been having the same dream almost every night throughout the whole summer: a broken down mansion, Peter Pettigrew- the man who betrayed Harry's parents to Voldemort- talking to some unknown person, a third wizard with the Dark Mark on his left arm, and a cemetery with a Grim Reaper tombstone and the name 'Riddle'.

"Creepy," Anya shivered. "Do you think it has anything to do with Voldemort?" she asked while she stroked the feathered head of Harry's beloved owl, Hedwig. Ron and Hermione shivered at the name.

"It might. I don't know," Harry replied as he finished the letter to his godfather, Sirius Black. He then tied the message to the owl's leg, opened the window, and let her loose.

"Hey everyone!" Vi cheered as she came bouncing into the compartment and plopped down on the seat beside Anya. "You guys ready for another year at Hogwarts?"

"Yes and no. Yes because we're fourth year students now so it only means three more years after this, but no for very particular reason." Anya replied, jabbing her pencil in Harry's direction. "You see,_ this _guy right here attracts more trouble than anyone I've ever met."

"Hey!" Harry laughed, tossing a Bertie Bott's bean at Anya's head, only for her to catch it in her mouth. Everyone laughed as she then began to spit out the celery flavor as if she had been told it was poison. "It's not my fault that trouble finds me all the time."

"Yeah... sure. Whatever," Anya groaned and wiped at her mouth. "Hey Ron, pass me a piece of that gum would ya?"

"Sorry," he blushed, shaking the small empty package. "Fresh out."

"Lovely," she huffed.

,:~:,

"With these new schools coming to visit, I sure as hell hope we don't have to wear these uniforms all the time," Anya huffed, tugging her red and yellow tie undone for the third time. "Damn it! I've been doing this for three years! Why isn't it working?"

"Why don't you just ditch it instead?" Ron suggested as he tugged at his own poorly-tied neck contraption. "You're going to strangle yourself that way."

Anya looked back and forth from the strip of fabric in her hand to the red head twice before she shrugged and stuffed it into her pocket. "Man, I could _so_ go for a nice big slice of pizza right now. Double cheese, pepperoni, and sausage all on an even layer of tomato sauce and a nice thick, warm crust." She sighed and looked at her friends who gave her an odd glance. "What? Come on guys, you've known me for three years. Are you really surprised that I can be a little random at time?" The other three Gryffindors simply shrugged in response.

Once everyone was seated and the sorting hat had done its part with the new first years, Dumbledore walked up to his podium and gave his speech. It was the same as ever other year: students are not permitted to go into the Forbidden Forest, magic was not allowed in the corridors, and other things like that. Most of the students made a fush when he announced that Quidditch was canceled for the year.

"Well, at least Flint can't go around the school acting like he's some bigshot," Anya said, glaring in the direction of the Slytherin table, her violet eyes scanning the house for the older boy.

"Didn't you hear?" Ron asked bringing Anya's attention back to him. "He got expelled.

"Apparently the bloke did something over the summer. Dad said it was some pretty serious stuff- something having to do with a younger girl. And the Minister found out about it and he expelled Flint for it. Said it wasn't safe for the girl students here at Hogwarts. Fudge even had him banned from every other school."

Anya sat there in shock. On one hand she was kind of disappointed. She had really wanted to spend the year torturing Flint with cruel pranks and make him suffer for what he had done to her. But the other side of her was glad that he was gone, that he couldn't try this again on her or anyone else.

But how? She hadn't told her parents, so they couldn't have told the Minister. She hadn't told any of the Weasleys, Hermione, or Harry, so it couldn't have been them either. And there was no chance in hell that any of the pureblooded witches or wizards from that party who would have stuck out their necks for a lowly mudblood like her. Unless...

Anya was snapped out of her thoughts by light laughter throughout the hall. Looking back towards the doorway, she saw the school caretaker, Mr. Filch, running quite amusingly up to where the Headmaster was speaking. Anya let a few giggles escape when she saw him try to catch his breath to tell Dumbledore something and then have to run back the way he came.

"As I was saying, Hogwarts has been selected to host a legendary event- the Triwizard Tournament. Now for those who do not know, the Triwizard Tournament combines three schools for a series of magical competitions.

"But more of that later. For now, please help me welcome the lovel ladies of the Beauxbatons Academy of Magic and their Headmistress, Madame Maxime."

The doors to the Great Hall opened and several girls, each as lovely as the next and dressed in pale blue robes in fine silks, came practically _floating _into the room, followed closely behind by their Headmistress, who had to be at least nine feet tall. Sparkling birds and butterflies flew around them, leaving a shimmering trail in their wake. Anya thought it was kind of weird. Unless it was all just some sort of matter of etiquette, these girls looked too fragile for the kind of tasks Vi had mentioned.

And speaking of Vi, Anya could see the Irish teenage witch mocking the older witches as they passed by, pretending to gag and vomit at how they strolled into the room and how every guy seemed smitten by them. Anya laughed before joining in a little. Their laughter was drowned out by the applause the Beauxbatons girls received once they were done.

"And now, our friends from the north. Please greet the proud sons of Durmstrang and their Headmaster, Igor Karkaroff!" Dumbledore cheered once the crowd had quieted down.

_'Greet them? Hell, I'll roll out the red carpet myself!'_ Anya thought as she saw the group of strong and very handsome wizards walk into the Great Hall. She perfered their performance a lot more seeing as it was more intense and had an air of power and strength. Back-flips and breakdance moves, and a phoenix made of fire. Not to mention that the seeker for the Bulgarian Quidditch team she had gone to see this past summer, Viktor Krum, was there too.

The rest of the feast went surprisingly well. The only odd part of it all was when the newest member of Hogwarts' teaching staff arrived.

"Bloody hell. That's Mad-Eye Moody," Ron said under his breath.

"Alastor Moody? The Auror?" Hermione asked.

"What's an Auror?" Anya asked the brunette.

"They're dark wizard catchers," Ron replied. "Half the cells in Azkaban are filled thanks to him. Though I heard he's as mad as a hatter these days."

Anya had to admit, there was something not right about the new wizard in the room. Maybe it had something to do with the many scars and the leg that was replaced with a squeaky mechanical one, or it could have been the oversized, vivid blue eye that seemed to move of its own free will, but Anya felt uneasy about the man.

Moody pulled a small flask from his coat pocket and took a swig and seemed to shudder as the liquid went down his throat.

"What's that he's drinking do you suppose?" fellow Gryffindor, Seamus Finnigan, asked the Golden Quartet.

"I don't know, but I don't think it's pumpkin juice," Harry grimaced.

Anya looked out the corner of her eye at the Slytherin table and she saw Draco smile and discreetly wave at her. Anya felt herslef blush as she waved back at the blonde.

"Who are you waving at Anya?" Ron asked, looking around to see the person who had caught the American witch's attention.

"Nobody!" she was quick to reply with, ducking her head so her friend couldn't see which direction she was staring at.

And with the final words of the night from Dumbledore, the new school year had begun and so had the Tournament... along with a whole new meaning to the word 'danger'.

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><p><em><strong>AC: 'Danger'? 'DANGER'? What the hell is that suppose to mean?<strong>_

_**MMM: You should know! It's your life. There's always something dangerous going on at Hogwarts.  
><strong>_

_**AC: And you got Flint banned from every school? That doesn't sound like justice to me!  
><strong>_

_**MMM: I told you, you will get even with him- LATER! You just have to be patient.  
><strong>_

_**Anyway, hope you liked this chapter. See you next week!  
><strong>_

_**Nancy (aka megamatchmaker)  
><strong>_


	41. Year 4 Ch6

_**MMM: Hello everyone! Hope you guys are ready for the next chapter! And I think a lot of you will be very pleased about this one! ;) I really, REALLY enjoyed writing this one!  
><strong>_

_**AC: Let's start then!  
><strong>_

_**MMM: Calm down Anya. Anyway, the usual disclaimer still applies. I don't own HP. Anya Collins is my creation and everything related to her too.**_

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><p><strong>Ch. 41 Whoa...<strong>

"Shoot! Heads up!" Anya shouted as the strap of her backpack slipped from her shoulder. Her reflexes weren't quick enough and the bag went tumbling down the stairs, the heavy textbooks spilling out from it and pens and pencils rolled further away. She took the rest of the stairs two at a time before falling to her knees to gather her things.

"Sure, just walk on by... don't bother asking if I need help," Anya grumbled under her breath at the many passing students of all three schools went by.

"Here. Let me help." Anya almost jumped out of her skin and turned around to see an older boy with Hufflepuff robes bending down and gathered her things that were out of reach.

"Oh. Thanks Cedric," Anya smiled.

Cedric Diggory was the golden boy of Hufflepuff house. The seventeen-year-old was at the top of his class and Hufflepuff's proud Quidditch captain and seeker. Anya remembered last year's match where she and Harry had both fainted when the dementors came onto school grounds, Cedric had caught the snitch but had wanted to have a rematch since he had thought it had been unfair to the Gryffindors. Most of the girls in the school had a crush on the wizard and Anya couldn't blame them. What with the always perfectly-styled light brown hair, bright grey eyes, and chiseled features, Cedric was very good-looking. She just thought of him as a friend though, not that they really hung out that much.

Cedric smiled back. "No problem... Anya, right?" he asked, causing Anya to nod. "Yeah, I remember seeing you at the World Cup this summer. You were in the Ministry box, weren't you?" Again, Anya nodded. "Wow. You must be a lucky gal."

"I guess..." Anya sighed. "It seems every Quidditch match I'm part of, something weird happens." As she said it, the memories of the past three years came flooding back: Harry's first match where his broom was jinxed, the game where she got in a fight with Draco's goons, Harry's broken arm and removed bones, her fainting. "I never really got to thank you for trying to have a rematch against Gryffindor last year. That was really nice of you."

Cedric blushed. "It was nothing. I just wish my dad would stop going on about that. It makes me feel even worse about it."

Anya looked up at the older wizard. "Most guys would have cared less about winning the way you did. You were way nicer than any of them. Don't sell yourself so short Cedric." Judging by his expression, he wasn't entirely convinced. So Anya quickly changed the topic. "So are you planning to enter for the Triwizard Tournament?" It worked.

Cedric's mood instantly brightened. "You bet. It would be nice for Hufflepuff to finally win something."

"You're tougher than I am," Anya shrugged her bag back on her shoulder as they began to walk. "Even if I was old enough to, I wouldn't enter. For once, I'd like to have a nice, _quiet_ year at Hogwarts. No dementors, no mysterious attacks- just one year of uneventful things." _'But I doubt that will ever happen,'_ she added in her head.

"Well, keep your fingers crossed for me, huh?" Cedric grinned. Anya raised both hands and crossed all her fingers and linked her thumbs together in good humor, causing the seventh year student to laugh whole-heartedly. She gave him a final grin and then headed into Transfiguration.

"What was that all about?" Hermione asked as Anya sat down beside her.

Anya looked up from searching through her bag for the right book and shrugged. "Nothing special. Just talking," was all she said before turning to the front of the class as McGonagall began the lesson.

,:~:,

"How does this look Professor?" Anya asked from her place at the top of a ladder, holding a sign above the door. Professor Flitwick had decided to decorate the music club room and some of the members had volunteered.

"It looks perfect Anya. Wonderful job!" the small charms master squeaked. Anya smiled as she pinned the sign in place. She then clapped her hands and Vi tossed a yellow chinese lantern with a black dragon painted onto it up at her. Anya caught it neatly and hung it beside the sign, letting it hang down the wall to rest on one side of the door. Vi tossed another lantern up and Anya did the same on the other side.

"There... that should do it," Anya beamed.

"Ivan, vait!" a voice sounded just as one of the Durmstrang students came right through the door, his foot catching the leg of the ladder.

The sudden jerk caused Anya to lose her balance. She tried to grab onto the ladder before she fell off, but her hand slipped on the wood and she fell backwards. She clenched her eyes shut and waited for the connection to the hard stone floors, but instead, she felt two arms catch her around her shoulders and behind her knees. She cracked one eye open to see Viktor Krum to be her saviour.

"Are you alright?" he asked in a very heavy accent.

"Umm... yeah. Thanks," Anya blushed as he set her back down on her feet. _'So _not_ a good first impression!'_

"It's my pleasure," Viktor replied as he stood up straight again. He then took Anya's hand in his and bowed his head. "Allow me to introduce myself- I am Viktor Krum. And you are?"

"Anya Collins," Anya said. She waved her free hand to the Hufflpuff behind her. "And this is one of my friends, Violet Smith."

"Hi," Vi breathed, though she wasn't really staring at the Bulgarian seeker but his friend who was now pushing the ladder out of the way.

Viktor noticed this and waved his friend forward. "May I intoduce my friend, Ivan Petrov."

"Pleasure to meet you," Ivan said in a lighter accent, holding each girl's hand in greeting the same as Viktor had. "Please forgive me for earlier. I did not pay attention to where I was going."

"It's fine," Vi spoke up before Anya had a chance to open her mouth. "Besides, it gives you the perfect opportunity to have girls _fall_ for you. Get it?" Both Bulgarian wizards looked at her oddly. "I just... umm... you know what? Never mind me," she sighed, hanging her head in defeat.

"I think what Vi's _trying_ to say is that it may be time to find a new way to meet people," Anya offered. "Lord knows I've met most of my friends by literally bumping into them, but sometimes I tend to end up flat on my butt or something. Trust me- the funny bone? Yeah, not so funny." This caused both boys to laugh.

"Vell, ve should probably be going," Viktor said. "Ve vere looking for the library but Ivan vas too impatient."

"You're looking for the _fourth _floor then. Just up above us," Anya said, pointing to the ceiling. "If you take the staircase just around the corner here, it'll lead you right to the door."

"Thank you," both boys replied and with a final bow, they left.

"Oh my God!" Anya looked over her shoulder to see Vi slump down on a chair. "I can't _believe_ that I did that!" she groaned, hunching over in her seat and burrying her face in her hands. "Why didn't you stop me? Now I look like a complete idiot!"

"Oh, come on now Vi," Anya said, coming to stand beside her friend and slung her arm around her shoulder. "It could have been worse. You could have had something on your face or have food stuck between your teeth. You didn't wipe out or anything serious, so overall I'd say that went pretty well."

"Easy for you to say," Vi snorted as she straightened up. "_You_ just were caught by one of the youngest professional seekers on the planet and you didn't even bat a lash! I can't even say two words around his _friend_ without looking ridiculous!"

"Well... at least he'll definitely remember you," Anya said and tossed a handful of glitter at Vi just as she turned her way. And while Vi sputtered on the glimmering silver flakes, Anya dashed out of the room.

,:~:,

"Blimey!" Ron groaned as he and the others all slumped in front of the fireplace in the Gryffindor common room after dinner. "These teachers are trying to kill us before the year's even begun!" He struggled to lift his heavy schoolbag. "Look! This here thing's nearly ready to burst!"

Anya sighed as she dropped her bag behind the couch and volleyed over the back of it, flopping down along the seat and resting her head in the redhead's lap. "Tell me about it." She yanked a throw pillow out front under her feet and propped it under her head. "Goodnight."

"Why don't you just go up to bed?" Ron whined as he shifted in his seat.

"'Cause it's comfy here. Stop moving!" she replied, giving him a mock-punch in the arm. She then curled up on her side and closed her eyes, pretending to fall asleep.

Suddenly, a tapping against glass startled the four friends and Anya opened her eyes to see a black owl tapping its beak against the window. Harry was the one closest so he opened the window and the bird swooped in and dropped a letter in Anya lap before flying back out the way it had come in.

"OK- odd," Anya mumbled, sitting up as she tore into the envelope. The message was short.

_Anya,_

_Can you meet with me outside of the Great Hall?_

_-D_

"Who's 'D'?" Ron asked, reading the message over the teen's shoulder. Anya stuffed the paper into her pocket, rushed up to her room for a second before running back downstairs and cried over her shoulder that she would meet up with her friends later as she ran back out the entrance to Gryffindor tower, slipping a certain bracelet on as she ran. When she finally arrived at the Great Hall, she saw Draco standing there.

"Hey. You made it," Draco smiled as she came down the hall.

"Yeah... well," Anya began, doubled over with her hands on her knees as she tried to catch her breath. "What can I... say? It seemed pretty... important," she gasped as she straightened up. "So what's the... problem?"

Draco looked back over his shoulder and checked for the coast to be clear. He said nothing as he took Anya by the hand and began to lead her towards the staircase to the right of the main staircase and headed down. Nor as he led her down a deserted corridor. And then suddenly, he stopped right in front of a painting of fruit.

"Seriously? You brought me all the way down here... to look at a picture of a bowl of fruit?" Anya asked. But something in Draco's smile made her think that there was more to it. And there was.

Anya watched as Draco reached up to the painting and scratched at it. Or was he tickling it? Then the pear in the painting began to giggle and before her very eyes, turned into a bright green door knob.

"Ladies first," Draco said, gesturing towards the handle. Anya smiled and reached for it.

When Anya opened the door, she was surprised by what she was seeing. Hundreds of house-elves were bustling away, the light of the many candles and torches flickering off the pots and pans. "Is this the kitchen?" she asked.

"Sure is," Draco replied with another smile. "But that's not exactly what I brought you here to see."

"Then what-" Anya began to ask, but she was cut off by a squeaky voice.

"Anya Collins!"

"Oh my gosh- Dobby!" Anya laughed as she dropped down to her knees and engulfed the house-elf into a great hug. "It's so good to see you again!" She leaned back and looked the little creature over. "Oh, you look so cute!"

And he was rather cute. Although nothing matched or looked remotely like an actual outfit, the tea cozy-hat, horseshoe patterned tie, and soccer shorts gave the child-like creature even more of an innocence. Anya smiled when she saw the same black sock that Harry had freed Dobby with two years ago along with the rainbow sock she had given him too on his feet.

"Dobby thanks Anya Collins for such kind words. And Dobby is most happy to see Anya Collins again after these years," Dobby replied with his usual deep bow.

"You work here in the school kitchens now?" Anya asked him as he led her and Draco to a nearby counter and began making them hot chocolate.

"Yes. And Dobby has been here these past two years," he answered, his green, tennis ball-sized eyes wide with happiness. "Draco Malfoy helped Dobby find his new home at Hogwarts," he added. The house-elf shivered and scurried over to a closet and extracted the sweater Anya had given him on their first meeting. "Pardon Dobby- it is a little cold down here sometimes."

"Draco helped you?" Anya rounded on the blonde. "You told me you hadn't seen him!"

Draco raised his hands in surrender. "And technically I didn't. You forget, students aren't really allowed in here."

"And when have rules ever stopped you?" Anya teased as Dobby placed a cup of the warm drink in front of her. She deliberately twisted the amethyst star bracelet around to draw attention to it and she saw Draco's eyes widen with surprise. That just proved her theory from the summer.

For the next few hours, the two teens simply talked about anything and everything. When it was almost eleven at night, they decided to head off to bed, but Draco insisted on escorting back to Gryffindor tower. They successfully dodged the teachers and prefects on night patrol and before they knew it, they were standing in front of the portrait of the Fat Lady.

"I had a lot of fun tonight Draco. Thanks," Anya smiled.

"You're welcome," Draco replied. Anya watched as he leaned forwards slightly but stopped short.

She wasn't sure what made her do it, but before Anya could even think it over, she cupped her hand around the back of Draco's neck, pulled him down to her level, and placed a chaste kiss on his lips before she pulled away completely. "Goodnight," she whispered to him before turning to the painting.

But suddenly, a hand wrapped around her arm and pulled her back and before she knew it, she was wrapped in Draco's arms and kissing him whole-heartedly. Her hands came up and burried themselves in his platnium blonde locks while his right hand cupped her cheek and his left hand pressed against her lower back, holding her close.

Anya had read a lot of teen romance novels and oh, how she had laughed at them. The whole idea where the heroine of the story would be swept off her feet, fireworks exploding behind closed eyelids, and all that for their first kiss- completely idiotic. And in a way, she still thought the authors were fools.

This kiss was more than Anya would ever have dreamt. She was flying and falling, swimming and drowning, and everthing in between all at the same time. She remembered how Irene and Emily had teased her in the past because she hadn't experienced her first kiss yet, but all she could think was how glad she was to have waited so long.

Eventually, the need to breath became too great and they broke apart. Anya noted how his lips were swollen from the kiss, his hair completely disheveled from her running her fingers through it, and his grey eyes were a liquid silver with passion. And she was sure that she probably looked the same.

"Ok..." she panted, slowly and almost reluctantly removing her arms from around his neck. "Well... umm..."

"Yeah... well..." Draco said, equally as breathless. "I better be... going." He began to back away, bumping into the wall behind him and nearly tripping over his own feet as he walked off in awe.

"_Fortuna Major_." The painting swung open and Anya stepped into the common room. As the door closed behind her, she leaned back against it and slightly slid down the wood. "Whoa..." she sighed.

"That was certainly something, I would say," the Fat Lady said as she walked into one of the paintings hanging on the wall in front of the fireplace.

"Yeah," Anya replied in awe before pushing herself up and headed up to the girl's dorm room. She quietly changed out of her uniform and into black sweats and a white tank top before crawling into bed. She fell asleep that night brushing her fingers across her lips and grinning like a fool in love... which she was.

She was in love with Draco Malfoy.

* * *

><p><em><strong>MMM: TA-DA! How was that?<br>**_

_**AC: Finally! Several months for the readers- and 4 years for me- and now we finally have the first kiss scene. About time!  
><strong>_

_**MMM: But hello? It takes longer for your friends to kiss the ones they like! You got off lucky, kid!  
><strong>_

_**AC: Fair enough. *nods towards Vi* And what's the deal with her and that Ivan guy? Is that going to be serious or something?  
><strong>_

_**MMM: Can't tell you!  
><strong>_

_**VS: Oh, come on! That's not fair!  
><strong>_

_**MMM: Deal with it, honey! I'm not saying anything about it yet! The readers need to give me their opinion- especially the girl you've been based after!  
><strong>_

_**Anyway, don't forget to review!  
><strong>_

_**Nancy (aka megamatchmaker)  
><strong>_


	42. Year 4 Ch7

**_MMM: Hey guys! So I'm posting this up today instead of Sunday because I'm going out of town for the weekend and I probably won't be getting back home until late Sunday night and by then, I'll probably be too tired to even think of posting. It's this big birthday party that we're having for my cousin's husband, and they LOVE to party! Now, I could have brought my laptop with me for the trip, but it would be pretty pointless since we're spending most of the time at the party which is poolside (NOT risking water in my precious gadget) and also I don't want to leave it laying around in the hotel room while I'm gone and risk it being stolen on me._****  
><strong>

**_But that all probably doesn't matter to you guys. Anyway, let's just get to the story. Now this chapter is kind of a filler since it's the champion selection as you can see below in the chapter title, but at the same time it's also not a filler. There will be some rather interesting things that will happen and all. I hope you all like it.  
><em>**

**_AC: So sit back, relax, and enjoy the new chapter, people! Because I'm going to be having some fun today! *waits a minute* Get your minds out of the gutter!  
><em>**

**_MMM: *lol* Very funny, Anya. Now, let's do this! Disclaimer- don't own Harry Potter and all that total BS. *runs off to finish packing*_**

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><p><strong>Ch. 42 The Champion Selection<strong>

"What'cha doing?" Anya asked in a sing-song voice as she hopped up the steps of the bleachers to where her brunette friend was sitting. Since the weather was miserable, Anya, along with Harry and Ron had decided to head to the Great Hall and watch as those few brave souls who wanted to compete in the Tournament submit their names into the Goblet of Fire on the last day.

Ron had mentioned about how he wished the Ministry of Magic hadn't made the rule that students under seventeen weren't allowed to compete. Anya watched as a sixth year student tried to submit his name, but the Age Line that Dumbledore had drawn around the Goblet prevented him from even getting close to it.

"I'd rather you than me," Harry said when Ron asked if he was interested in the Tournament at all.

"Amen to that," Anya added as she plopped down beside Hermione, who once again had her nose buried in a book. "The whole eternal glory thing kind of gets old after a while."

Just then, Cedric Diggory came in, his friends hounding him and pushing him forward towards the Goblet. He looked in Anya's direction and she held her crossed fingers up for him to see. Cedric smiled at her before he turned back to the Goblet, dropping the small paper with his name into the blue flames.

"You two seem to be getting along quite well," Hermione commented, her brown eyes never leaving the page. "Is there something I should know about?"

_'Don't worry about that,'_ Anya thought. _'I mean, I only totally made out with Draco Malfoy last night. You know, the same guy that my best friend/brother loathes with everything in him? The guy that tortures and humiliates anyone with our blood status? So why would I be interested in Cedric Diggory?' _"We're just friends Hermione. That's all."

Applause and cheers ran through the Great Hall and Anya looked up to see Ron older brothers, Fred and George come running into the room, grinning from ear to ear and acting as though they'd just made the biggest discovery yet.

"Well lads, we've done it," Fred said.

"Cooked it up just this morning," his twin finished for him. Anya then noticed that they were each holding a tiny vial of some yellow-green liquid. She rolled her eyes and leaned back on her hands. Fred and George had been the ones who had been the most displeased at the fact that underaged students couldn't compete since they were a few months shy of being seventeen. So it didn't come as much of a shocker to her that they'd try to fool the Age Line.

"It's not going to work!" Anya and Hermione both sang in a mocking tone, bringing the attention of everyone in the room to them.

Fred and George smirked as they squatted down beside the two younger witches. "Yeah? And why's that, ladies?" they asked.

Hermione snapped her book shut and motioned to the Age Line around the Goblet. "You see that right there? It's an Age Line- one drawn by Dumbledore himself."

"So?" Fred asked.

Anya scoffed. "SO Fred... do you really think that someone as smart as Dumbledore wouldn't make sure that any magic he performs could be loopholed by something as stupid as an aging potion?"

"Exaclty!" Hermione added. "It's completely dimwitted."

"Ah... but that's the beauty of it," George said.

"Because it's so pathetically dimwitted," Fred finished, ruffling Anya's hair. "And for the record Anya, I'm George. _That's_ Fred."

Anya shook her head and combed her hair back in place with her fingers. "No it's not. Trust me- I have my own way of knowing which one of you is who," she smirked in response, secretly eyeing the bare spot on his neck. She then gestured to the Goblet. "Well? Go ahead- prove us wrong."

"Ready Fred?" "Ready George!" "BOTTOMS UP!" And once they drank their potions, they jumped off the bleacher and past the line. Everyone in the crowd cheered for them but the cheers turned into screams when the Goblet rejected their names. Two balls of blue flames hit both twins square in the chest, knocking them out of the ring and past the crowd. When they sat back up, their ginger hair was growing longer and turning white and beards were growing at a fast rate. They looked like two really tall old men.

"Told ya so," Anya grinned at the bickering brothers who were now rolling on the floor in a fight.

,:~:,

"Vi, I'm serious! Just go up and talk to him!" Anya urged, pressing against her friend's shoulders from behind.

"No!" Vi squeaked, ducking behind the nearest bookshelf. Anya rolled her eyes and walked over to her friend who was carefully looking through the row of books that hid her to stare at the boy in question. "I'm just going to say something stupid again. I just know it!"

Anya sighed and leaned against the smooth wooden frame. "Vi, honestly... Ivan seems like a nice guy. He probably doesn't even remember what you had said the last time we talked to him," she said, looking over her shoulder at the Bulgarian wizard.

Anya had to admit that the guy was really good looking. He had light brown hair that was combed in a sort of 60's look, was roughly six feet tall, and a slight stubble that suited him perfectly. At the moment, his blue eyes were scanning the pages of some potions book while Viktor Krum was completely ignoring his own book, staring off at the table Anya had just left her other friends at three minutes ago when she went after her Irish friend.

"Yeah right," Vi snorted loudly before she clapped a hand over her mouth and grabbed Anya's arm with her free hand and dragged her behind the self with her. She then glanced over the books again and Anya saw Ivan looking at where she had just been standing. "You have no idea how embarrassing that is!"

Anya crossed her arms as gave the dark haired witch a look. "I had someone pose as my secret admirer and I dated another guy who was seeing another girl at the same time as me. Don't talk to me about being embarrassed."

"Oh... right," Vi blushed as she went back to gazing at the Bulgarian student. "Speaking of your admirer- did you ever find out who that was?"

It was Anya's turn to blush. Should she tell Vi about her revelation of last night or keep it a secret from everyone?

_ 'But Vi _did_ open my eyes to the idea, technically,'_ Anya debated with herself.

_**'No way! Vi may be a friend, but you know as well as anybody else that if you tell her, your secret won't stay that way for long!'**_another side of her protested. _**'You tell her, and it's only a matter of time 'til Harry and Ron find out and they'll try to beat Draco into a pulp!'**_

"Not really," Anya replied eventually. "I mean, I've had some ideas, but they were pretty much a bust." Technically, she wasn't lying, but she wasn't telling the whole truth.

"Well, who do you think it could be?" Vi persisted.

_'Crap!' _"Umm... well... I haven't really thought much about it lately. With the whole Tournament thing going on..."

"Yeah, sure Anya," Vi laughed. She nodded to Anya's wrist which had the bracelet wrapped around it. "You've been wearing that all week for no apparant reason. There has to be someone you suspect."

"Alright then, smartass," Anya huffed, crossing her arms. "You're right- I do know who it is that keeps sending me my favorite flowers and poems and sent me this bracelet. In fact, I met up with him last night and I kissed him!" Her violet eyes went wide when she realized what she had admitted and her hand came up to clamp over her mouth, as if doing so would take the words back.

Vi's green eyes sparkled with excitement over the news. "You're _kidding_ me! You kissed him? Really? Oh, this is _perfect! _I thought it would take you _forever_ before you finally admitted that you liked him if I didn't do something to give you that little push, but I have to say I'm really glad I did-"

"Hold up, hold it!" Anya demanded, bringing the other witch's attention back to her. "I didn't even tell you who 'he' is! And what do you mean by 'that little push'? What are you talking about?" When Vi dipped her head in embarrassment, it clicked. "Oh... my... GOD! You knew? All this time, you knew it was Draco? And the summer program- you somehow got us partnered? HOW?"

Vi held her hands up in surrender. "Easy there! I may have mentioned last year to Professor Dumbledore that you two were having _some_ arguments and that the best thing to help you guys get along would have been to make you guys spend the summer together. And I recognized his writing when you showed me the letters. I mean, I did sit beside the guy during Astronomy class last year.

"Really Anya, the guy is so bloody well hung up on you, I think I saw him write 'Mrs. Anya Malfoy' on over half the pages of his notebook," Vi finished. Anya felt herself blush at how delighted she was when she heard 'Anya Malfoy'; how it caused little butterflies of glee to flutter in her stomach. "Anya, are you mad at me?"

Vi wasn't prepared for the massive hug she received from the auburn haired witch before her, but judging that she wasn't trying to kill her just yet, she figured she was safe so she returned the gesture.

"No," Anya sighed as she pulled away. "I'm not mad. A little surprised, but not mad." Vi smiled as she grabbed her bag and dashed off around the opposite end of the bookshelf to head out another way.

'_But now I own you big time,' _she added as an afterthought as she watched her friend leave_. 'So I'm thinking that since you helped me with my love life, I should help you with _yours_.' _And with that, she stepped back from her hiding spot behind the bookshelf and walked straight up to Ivan and Viktor. "Hey Ivan, can I talk to you?" The Bulgarian quickly stood up as she approached. _'Hmm... a guy with manners and class. Vi knows how to pick 'em.'  
><em>_  
><em>"Hello Anya. Of course- won't you sit with us?" he greeted her, pulling out the seat beside his in silent offer.

"Thanks. So tell me Ivan... what do you think of my friend, Violet?"

,:~:,

Everyone from the three schools were soon sitting in the Great Hall that night, the blue flames of Goblet of Fire the only source of light in the large room. Tonight would be the selection of the champions.

Dumbledore stood next to the oversized cup and rested his hand against it for a moment. When he removed it, the flames turned bright red and everyone watched as a piece of paper shot out from the fire, the edges smoking and burnt.

"The Durmstrang champion," Dumbledore announced once he'd caught the paper. "Viktor Krum!" The boys in their brown uniforms all cheered as the professional Bulgarian seeker walked up to the Headmaster who directed him to the door off to the side.

The Goblet turned red again and another paper- this one a circular, elegant crepe paper in light blue- fluttered out. "For Beauxbatons- Ms. Fleur Delacour." Anya saw a girl with silvery-blonde hair and bright blue eyes gracefully make her way to the center of the room. Even from there, Anya could see how perfectly white Fleur's teeth were when she smiled.

The Goblet once again turned red as the last name came flying out. "Hogwarts champion- Cedric Diggory!"

"Yes!" Anya cheered for her new friend as he accepted and followed the other contestants through the door.

"Excellent! We now have our three champions!" Dumbledore announce happily. "But in the end, only one will go down in history. Only one will hoist this chalice of champions, this vessel of victory- the Triwizard Cup!" He pointed behind him and a sheet of cloth flew up into the air, revealing the crystal clear cup with beautiful designs and patterns.

Anya clapped enthusiastically but like everyone else, she slowed to a stop when the Goblet glowed again. Dumbledore walked back to the Goblet just as _another _paper flew out and he caught it. When he looked down at it, he seemed stunned.

He mumbled something before looking back up. "Harry Potter?"

Anya looked to her wizard friend who was quickly sitting back down as if doing so would change what happened.

"Harry Potter!" Dumbledore shouted and with some shoving on Hermione's part, Harry got back up and walked to the Headmaster who lead him where the other champions were.

"Back to your dormitories," Professor McGonagall announced. "Now, if you'll please." There was a clamour to leave the room.

,:~:,

"How do you think he did it?" Ron asked- more like fumed- as he paced in front of the fireplace. Everyone else had already gone up to bed except for Ron, Hermione, and Anya, who were awaiting for their friend to come up to Gryffindor tower. "How do you think he got passed the Age Line? Fred and George couldn't do it, so how did he?"

"Do you really think that Harry put his name in the Goblet?" Anya asked, shocked that the redhead would so quickly accuse his friend.

"How else do you explain it?" Ron barked back. "What I don't understand is why he didn't let me in on it. I thought we were pals."

"Honestly Ronald," Hermione snapped. "Harry couldn't of done it. The Goblet of Fire is a very powerful artifact. Only a student who knows very advanced dark magic could have done this."

"And you heard Harry yourself," Anya added just as hotly. "He couldn't care less about the whole eternal glory bit. If he was so determined to be a part of the Torunament, why would he say that?"

"Probably so when he did get chosen, people would think that he was being set up," Ron bit out. Ignoring the two witches, he stomped up to the boy's dorm, the door slamming shut behind him.

"Can you believe him?" Anya asked the brunette. But before she had a chance to reply, the portrait hole opened and both girls turned to see their other friend walk in. "Harry, is everything ok? What did the teachers say?" Anya asked him, instantly dreading the answer.

"I have no choice. I have to compete," Harry replied.

That night, Anya kept dreaming terrible nightmares. Ones where Harry faced off against some of the most dangerous creatures in all the magical world... and he didn't make it out alive.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AC: Why do you keep giving me nightmares like that? I'm already feeling like I'm gonna go off the deep end enough as it is! Why?<br>**_

_**MMM: Because I choose to. It's not a good story if things don't happen to my main characters!  
><strong>_

_**VS: What's going to happen between me and Ivan? *looks at author expectantly*  
><strong>_

_**MMM: Wait and see!  
><strong>_

_**Well, I gotta go! We're out of here! Plattsburg, here we come! Hope you all enjoy your weekend! See you on the 28th of July! *blows a kiss and waves goodbye* Adios!  
><strong>_

_**Nancy (aka megamatchmaker)  
><strong>_


	43. Year 4 Ch8

**_MMM: Look who's back! And man, does it feel good! And to think, I'm only 18 reviews away from a total of 300! I've already got more reviews for this story than for all my other stories combined! WOW!_****  
><strong>

**_AC: Feels pretty cool, huh?  
><em>**

**_MMM: That's an understatement! Anyway, I hope you guys like this chapter. I worked hard on this one, believe it or not. And as you can see by the chapter title below, it won't be pretty for some people.  
><em>**

**_Disclaimer: HARRY POTTER ISN'T MINE! HOW MANY TIMES DO I NEED TO REPEAT IT?_**

* * *

><p><strong>Ch. 43 Pushing My Buttons!<strong>

Although Anya was finally admitting to herself that she was indeed in love with the Slytherin Prince, she also had to admit that Draco was starting to get on her last nerve. Not to mention Ron, Vi and over half of Hogwarts' student population.

Ever since the champion selection, things between Harry and the blonde had only become a hundred times worse.

First it was the badges. Anya wasn't sure who exactly started them, but it seemed that Draco was one of the many who sported them proudly on his school robes. The oversized buttons would shine in yellow with big black letters that read 'Support CEDRIC DIGGORY- the REAL Hogwarts Champion!' But once the badge was pressed into the wearer's chest, it turned green and the letters changed to form 'POTTER STINKS!' Soon anyone that believed that Harry was a cheater- which turned out to be every house in Hogwarts aside from Gryffindor- was wearing one of the badges.

And Ron! Oh, he really knew how to piss her off. According to Harry, Ron refused to believe that he hadn't submitted his name in the Goblet and was acting like some spolied, selfish brat that wasn't gettting his way. A part of Anya wanted to laugh at the mental image of Ron stomping his foot like a three-year-old while the other wanted to smack him so hard upside the head that he'd feel it for a month. Harry had never given them a reason to not believe him before and yet here was Ron being a total jerk.

Vi wasn't that much help either. Although the Irish beauty was never one to fall under peer pressure, she did find it hard to believe that someone had cheated to get Harry's name in the Goblet. And since all the evidence pointed to the boy, she couldn't really find any cause to blame anyone else. And the other Hogwarts champion was someone in her own house. Instead, she kept neutral, saying that she didn't agreed nor disagree with what the rest of the school said. She did apologize, but it didn't really help Harry feel any better.

It seemed like the only people in the school that _did_ believe Harry were Anya, Hermione- who still believed him though she didn't spend as much time around him as she use to, and most of Hogwarts' staff.

So it wasn't uncommon lately to see only Anya and Harry hanging together- the Boy Who Cheated, and the American Outcast. That was Anya's new nickname at Hogwarts. She had gone from the most well known and liked girl in school to a reject by all because she wanted to support her friend. She kept telling Harry that she didn't mind the insults made at her for it, but it didn't make it feel any less painful.

"I hate this," Harry said as they walked out of Charms class, which was spent once again receiving glares from the other students.

Anya sighed as she slung her free arm around Harry's shoulders and gave a squeeze. "Just ignore them Harry. They're nothing but a bunch of jerks who couldn't figure out the truth even if they had a map, compass, and tour guide!" Her violet eyes darted over to their stubborn redheaded friend who just gave her the cold shoulder. "See what I mean?"

"He's a right foul git, he is," Harry snarled at Ron's retreating back.

"True, but don't worry about it. Sooner or later, Ron will see how much of an idiot he's being, you'll laugh, you'll hug, and this will all just be another page in the book on friendship." Anya squeezed his shoulder again and they began walking again. "It's pretty much the friendship code. Honestly, it'll just be a memory before you know it." Realizing that he wasn't convinced, she sighed before dragging him along to their next class.

It was going to be a _long_ day.

,:~:,

As soon as Anya stepped out of her last class for the day, having stayed behind to finish up with a self-project, Draco grabbed her by the arm and pulled her into a secluded corner of the corridor, and covered her mouth with his. He felt her smile against his lips as her arms came up around his neck, pulling him closer and he smiled in return as his arms wrapped around her tiny waist.

Draco had been longing for her touch ever since that night where he first kissed her. Every waking moment was spent thinking about the American witch and even his dreams were filled with her beautiful smile and sparkling violet eyes. After spending so much time around her during the summer, to be seperated from her for _weeks_ drove him crazy.

He walked her backwards into the wall when the kiss began to grow heated, and just as quickly as it started, Anya pulled away from him.

"Ok... just... brief pause here," she panted, trying to regain the air that the kiss had taken from her.

"Why?" Draco whined, burrying his face in the crook of her neck where he ran his nose along the skin exposed by the open collar of her blouse. Draco Malfoy was not one to whine, but when it came to Anya, he would get down on hands and knees and beg in an instant if she wanted him to.

A breathless giggle escaped her lips when his nose brushed against the spot where her shoulder met her neck. With a grin, he repeated the motion, earning a louder giggle from the auburn haired beauty. He pulled back to look into her eyes as his hands slid up her sides and down her arms, turning his hands around to link his fingers through hers. "Are you ticklish?" Draco asked her.

"Yes," Anya replied almost instantly. "I mean- no!" she quickly counterclaimed. She yanked her hands from his and tried to escape, but his seeker skills were too fast for her and he pulled her back into his arms, her back flush against his chest and his arms locked around her waist. She let out a squeal which turned into full-out laughter as his fingers began to tickle mercilessly at her stomach. "Draco! Stop it!" she laughed and Draco felt his insides melt at her sweet laughter.

Spinning her around in the cage of his arms, he began to press a series of kisses everywhere on her face. Yes, he was probably being far too forward with his feelings towards Anya, but he couldn't help himself. There was just something about this girl that made him a completely different wizard and he liked it.

"Draco- stop for a second," Anya demanded and with great reluctance, he did as she asked. "This is really important."

"What is it?" he asked her, the worry in his stomach beginning to grow at the serious look in her eyes.

"What's with the personal attacks?" Anya asked him. "I mean against Harry- why are you acting the way you are? What has he done to deserve it?"

Draco looked at her oddly. "Anya, the bloke cheated."

"No he didn't!" Anya insisted, unlocking his arms from around her and pulling away completely. "Harry would never cheat and definetely not for some stupid contest like this!"

"Well, how else do you explain the fact that Potter's a champion?" Draco demanded, the well-known Malfoy temper beginning to make its appearance in the conversation. "Let's face it Anya- your friend isn't as much of a goody-two-shoes as you thought he was."

"How can you say that?" Anya asked in appaul. "You don't even know him! Not that you would anyway, seeing as all you ever seem to do is get into fights whenever you're in the same room as each other!"

"Why do you keep sticking up for him, Anya?" Draco demanded. "The guy is not even worthy of being your friend! You should be around people that would give you the respect you deserve, not that Weasel-bee and Granger girl!"

"Don't you _dare_ speak about my friends like that!" Anya shot back. "They are the best and loyal friends a girl could ever ask for and I'd be damned to lose that friendship for a couple of _lapdogs_ like you have!"

"Honestly Anya, you can be really thick sometimes!" Anya's eyes grew wide with shock and hurt and Draco realized what he had just said and he wanted nothing more than to just kick himself repeatedly in the ass. With a shaky hand, he reached out to her, his silverly eyes filled with regret. "Anya- I'm so-"

"Fuck off!" Anya shouted at him, backing away with tears in her eyes. "Go to hell!" And with that, she spun on her heel and ran off. Draco stood there for a second before snapping from his stupor and raced off after her.

"Anya, wait!" Draco shouted after her as they came to the grand staircase, but she ignored him as she ran down the steps, taking them two at a time. His foot just landed on the top step when the flight of steps they were on began to change. Draco saw that Anya was more or less trapped on the flight so he took his time to reach her.

And that was when she surprised him.

Anya looked over the railing and before Draco could do anything to stop her, she hopped over the side and _fell._

Draco raced down the steps to where she had jumped, looking over the railing to see that she had landed on another flight of stairs directly below where they had just passed over. He would have followed suit, but it was already out of reach and if Draco had jumped, he would have missed. Anya looked up at him and he could see the anger burning in her violet eyes before she ran off, leaving Draco to wait for the stairs he was on to finish moving.

By the time it was, she was already gone.

,:~:,

The sweat was dripping from her brow as Anya threw punch after punch at the swinging bag. Since the Triwizard Tournament had canceled any and all Quidditch games, the training rooms were more or less bare and being a part of the team and on good terms with Gryffindor's captain, Anya was able to come and go as she pleased. And right now she needed it.

Ever since the other day when she and Draco had their first argument, Anya had gone back to avoiding him like the plague. He was such a hypocrite: he didn't like it when people were so quick to judge him and yet here he was doing the very same thing to her friend. What a jerk!

"Thought I'd find you here." Anya stopped the punching bag's movement and turned to the door to see Vi standing there in jeans and a 'I'm a Rebel' t-shirt, a beige jacket hooked on her finger and slung of her shoulder. "Trouble in paradise?" she asked.

"I don't want to talk about it," Anya growled before turning back to what she had just been doing.

Vi sighed and Anya watched in the corner of her eye as the Irish girl dropped her coat on the bench and grabbed a pair of punching pads and slipped them on. She held her hands up to her friend and Anya turned from the punching bag for her new targets.

"What's up?" Vi asked over the sound of leather and padding smacking together.

"I don't want to talk about it!" Anya repeated, but she began to rant, punching with new vigor. "Everything is going to hell in a hand basket! Draco is testing my patience acting all sweet and nice to me while treating my friends like dirt, and he's such a hyprocrite! He said he doesn't like it when other people assume stuff about him and yet he's doing the exact same thing with Harry! And Ron's not help anything! He's just acting like like such an ass because he thinks Harry _did_ sign up for the tournament! Half the school's turning into an angry mob against Harry and he can't do _shit_ _about it!_" At the last shout, Anya turned back to the punching bag and gave it a high kick. The force behind her leg was enough to send the item off its chain and onto the floor.

"O...k," Vi answered causiously, now fearful of the fury the American witch was clearly in.

Anya panted as she tried to calm down, but even after blowing that much steam, she was still chockful of anger. Yanking the gloves off, she undid the bandages around her knuckles to reveal bruised and bloody skin. She wiped her hands off on a towel and wrapped them in new white gauze before she made her way over to the mats. It had been a while since she'd practiced the gymnastics her parents had paid hundreds of dollars for... only for her to quit after barely two months.

She pushed her body to the hardest she ever tried with the most complex flips and tricks she could remember learning. She added a few material arts move here and there for extra power. After only a few minutes of this, she felt all the muscles in her body screaming at her in pain, but she ignored it and kept pushing through. Vi simply watched from the sidelines.

It kept going for about a half hour before Anya finally felt exhaustion taking hold of her. With a final double backflip, she landed gracefully and fell into a perfect split with her arms raised high and winded.

Vi let out a whistle. "Whew! That was impressive!" she said.

"Thanks," Anya panted as she hoisted herself back on her feet, grabbing her water bottle as she patted her face dry. "I needed that."

"So when are you going to talk to him again?" Vi asked and she saw the auburn haired witch tense. "Come on Anya- you can't avoid the bloke forever."

"I can do my damn best," Anya replied before grabbing her things and ran out the door.

,:~:,

Harry Potter was never one to pry in another person's buisness, least of all his friends. But he was seriously considering to make an exception.

Harry didn't know what was going on with Anya. When she had come back from the summer vacation, she seemed to be happier in a way. And before the champion selection, she was practically bursting with it. But now she looked mad at the world, not that he was one to talk.

And the way she'd been acting towards Malfoy! Bloody hell! She glares that she'd send the blonde Slytherin would have had grown men cowering from the intensity of it. Sure, Malfoy wasn't his favorite guy in the world, but he almost felt bad for him.

Another thing that Harry was not was a fool. It didn't take a genius to know that it was Draco Malfoy who was Anya's admirer. A blind man could tell that Draco cared for his American friend and although Harry loathed the idea of Anya being associated with the creep, a part of him thought that they did seem to be a good match for one another. Where one was a complete arse with no compassion for his fellow wizard, the other was as kind and cared for everyone around her, good or not.

Harry was snapped out of his thoughts as Anya came walking into the Gryffindor common room. "Hey Anya," he called out as she walked right past. When she realized who had talked to her, she did a double take.

"Oh... hey Harry. Didn't see you there," she said with a smile. She vaulted herself over the back of an arm chair. "Were you using your Invisibility Cloak again?" she teased.

Harry let out a small chuckle but it didn't reach his eyes. "Sometimes, I wish I could," he replied, looking around the room of Gryffindors, most of who still thought that he had cheated. He then noticed the gym bag on Anya's person. "What's in there?"

Anya shrugged. "Oh... just some stuff. Nothing special." She wiped at her sweaty forehead. "Hey, I'm gonna go clean up a bit before dinner. I'll be back." And with that, she got back up and headed to the girl's dorm.

* * *

><p><em><strong>MMM: So? How was that?<br>**_

_**VS: Scary.  
><strong>_

_**AC: Hey!  
><strong>_

_**VS: Hey nothing! You sent a punching bag off it's chain!  
><strong>_

_**MMM: So?  
><strong>_

_**VS: A 14-year-old girl shouldn't be able to do stuff like that! It's not possible!  
><strong>_

_**AC: Anything's possible if you have enough anger, enough stamina... and if you live in the magical world.  
><strong>_

_**MMM: She's got you there, Vi.  
><strong>_

_**HP: I'm suppose to be 'OK' with my best friend/sister dating the bloke I hate?  
><strong>_

_**MMM: Yes, otherwise this story would never have been written in the first place.  
><strong>_

_**DM: And what about me? You bring me back in the scene only for Anya to yell in my face? That's no fair.  
><strong>_

_**MMM: But that's the way I wanted to write it, and that's how it will be. So there!  
><strong>_

_**Don't forget to review, people!  
><strong>_

_**Nancy (aka megamatchmaker)  
><strong>_


	44. Year 4 Ch9

**_MMM: Hi everyone! So, yeah- I've been a little distracted this past week. Problem in the family annd a few scares along with it. But everything seems alright now. Just need tp remain calm. But that doesn't interest you people, so I won't go into details. Anyway, I've got a new chapter for you all! Hope you like it! It's got a small mention of Draco, but other than that... But next chapter, there will be plenty of him in it! Trust me!_****  
><strong>

**_DM: About time! I haven't been in the story since-  
><em>**

**_AC: Last chapter where I pretty much tore you a new one!  
><em>**

**_VS: Yeah! And she scared the readers by showing just how much fire power she's got!  
><em>**

**_AC: Hell yeah!  
><em>**

**_MMM: ANYWAY... that's in the past. Next week, there will be so much cuteness, I swear you'll fall out of your seats! But that's next week's chapter!  
><em>**

**_Disclaimer: HP isn't mine._**

* * *

><p><strong>Ch. 44 First Task<strong>

Harry and Anya were laying out close to the edge of the Black Lake, Harry with his back against the trunk of a tree while he skimmed through some Herbology book of Neville's and Anya with her head in Harry's lap, her foot tapping out the beat of the music blasting out of her MP3 player.

"Amazing." The two Gryffindors looked over by the water to see their fellow house member, Neville Longbottom, examining another watery plant he had just found. "Amazing."

"Neville? You're doing it again," Harry sighed impatiently. Anya smacked him in the shoulder for his attitude. He rubbed at the sore spot before turning back to the book. "'_Magical Water Plants of the Mediterranean'_?" he asked, reading the cover.

"Moody gave it to me, that day we had tea," Neville replied, causing Anya to shudder.

Moody gave her the creeps. At first, she just felt a little uneasy around him, but after the first Defense Against the Dark Arts class, it was blown to full-out freaky. Seriously, how many people could feel calm about being around a guy that teaches fourteen-year-olds about the Three Unforgivable Curses by demonstrating them?

Neville waved at someone and Anya lift her head to see Ron, Hermione, and Ginny coming down the slope. She sighed before picking herself up and walked towards them, Harry right beside her.

"Ronald would like me to tell you... that Seamus told him... that Dean was told by Pavarti that Hagrid's looking for you," Hermione recited to Harry, having to pause after every few words to think it through.

"Really?" Harry scoffed. "Well... What?" Anya almost laughed at the confused look on her friend's face.

Hermione grimaced before heading back to Ron, who whispered back a few words. Anya had the incredible urge to roll her eyes. Since when was Hermione the messenger between the two boys? This was stupid. Hermione came back. "Dean was... told by Pavarti that... Please don't ask me to say it again. Hagrid's looking for you."

"Well you can tell Ronald," Harry started to tell her hotly as she retreated, but she rounded back on him, shouting that she wasn't an owl. She then walked back up the slope, guiding Ginny away and with the other redhead on their trail.

"Hey Weasley!" Anya shouted, catching the boy's attention. "Next time, do your own dirty work!" she barked at him. He gave her a cold look before following his sister and their other friend back to the castle. Anya sighed before turning to the dark haired wizard. "Hagrid wants to see you? What for?"

"No idea," he replied, placing the book onto a dry part of a large boulder. "You coming?"

"Sure!" she grinned, yanking the headphones out of her ears, wrapped them around the tiny music device, and shoved it all in her pocket. "Hey Neville, we'll see you later, 'kay?" she called back to the other Gryffindor who waved at them with a grin.

The two friends ran to the familiar little hut located near the Forbidden Forest, and as usual, Hagrid was outside tending to his garden, his oversized bloodhound Fang, lazing around in the grass. As soon as the dog picked up their scent- mostly Anya's perfume- his bigs floppy ears perked up before he stood up and raced towards them.

"Hey boy!" Anya cooed, crouching down and scratched behind his ears and neck, laughing when he started licking at her face. "Good to see you too!" she giggled.

"Harry! Anya!" Hagrid's familiar voice sounded as he walked up towards them. "Was wondering when yeh'd get here."

"Hey Hagrid," Harry said. "Hermione told me you needed to see me."

"Yes. I need you ter meet me back here tonight. And don't forget yeh Invisibility Cloak," Hagrif replied.

"Can I come along?" Anya asked. If there was something so big of a secret that the Invisibility Cloak had to take a part of it, then she wanted in. Anything to distract her, even if it only lasted a little while.

Hagrid seemed reluctant, but in the end, he agreed.

,:~:,

_'Sneaking out of the castle was so much easier to do when there were only two people under this thing,'_ Anya thought as she and Harry squeezed through the doorway, careful not to move the squeaky door any more than they had to and to keep covered by the water-soft fabric. Although the Invisibility Cloak seemed to almost _grow_ to properly cover whatever amount of people under it, it wasn't as difficult to walk in sync with one other person as it had been with three.

The two friends quietly crept past the large carriage the girls of the Beauxbatons Academy arrived and stayed in, and once they were out of sight from the winged horses harnessed to the carriage, they yanked the cloak off and ran the rest of the way to Hagrid's hut.

Anya could hardly hold in her laughter when she saw the 'new and improved' look Hagrid was sporting. His normally tangled and messy hair looked like he had spent the last hour trying to comb through it until he decided to just gel it down into place. He was wearing his moleskin suit with a very loud orange tie with yellow polka dots everywhere and a strange flower pinned to the lapel. It looked like a cross between a bleeding heart, a sunflower, and a dead spider... it would have been very nice though if Hagrid had broken the stem shorter; the roots were still attached to the end.

"What's all this?" Harry asked with a bewildered look. Hagrid said nothing and just led them into the Forest. "What's with the flower, Hagrid? And did you comb your hair?"

"You know, you _could_ try it yourself some time, Harry," Anya joked, ruffling his shaggy black hair as they walked. "Or at least get it cut a bit. People might mistake you for a girl soon."

"Shut up," Harry laughed while self-consciously reaching up to his hair in embarrassment.

Both teens jumped when they heard a loud roaring close by and they feared to go further. The last time Anya had been in the Forbidden Forest was back in first year when she had a close encounter with Voldemort. And Harry had faced Voldemort, big-ass spiders, a werewolf, and a hundred dementors all in the past three years. To say they weren't interested in meeting anymore dangerous creatures in these woods would have been an understatement.

"Hagrid!" a heavily-accented voice called... a _woman's_ voice, to be exact. And that's when it all clicked in Anya's mind.

"Quick! Put the Cloak on!" Hagrid insisted and once Harry and Anya were once again hidden, he walked towards where the voice had come from. "Bonsoir, Olympe!" he greeted the giant headmistress of Beauxbatons Academy. When the two giants started getting all mushy, lovey-dovey, Harry stuck his tongue out as if he were about to throw up and Anya giggled to herself at how cute it all was.

But the cuteness was quickly dead when they saw what Hagrid had brought them out to see.

,:~:,

"It's not that bad, Harry," Anya tried to reason with the wizard as they finished class the next day.

"'Not that bad'? 'Not that _bad_'?" Harry asked in disbelief. "Anya, these are _dragons_ we're talking about here. You know- fire breathing, sharp fangs and claws, and incredibly dangerous _dragons_! How could it not be that bad?"

Anya sighed. "Ok, so it is pretty bad. But freaking out over it isn't going to help." She sped up to block his path and grabbed him by the shoulders. "You need to relax. Take a deep breath."

"Easy for you to say," Harry mumbled.

Anya sighed again. "Look Harry. I've got my next class with Hermione. I'll see what she knows about dragons and we'll figure something out. Don't worry!" she smiled, giving him a quick hug. "I've got your back."

"Thanks Anya," Harry said with a forced smile. Anya gave him another hug before running off to her next class, slipping through the door just before the teacher closed it on her.

"Hey Hermione, can I pick your brain a bit on a certain subject?" Anya asked her brunette friend quietly as they scribbled down notes.

"Sure... what about?" Hermione questioned.

"What do you know about dragons?"

Hermione's quill stopped scratching at the parchment and she turned a critical eye to the American girl. "Why?"

Anya hid her face behind her auburn locks. "Because the first task in the Tournament happens to involve them?" she offered as a response, her shoulders tensing up and waiting for the kill.

"_What?!_" Hermione exclaimed, gaining the attention of most of the class... and the professor.

"Ms. Granger, is there something you'd like to share with the rest of the class?" the professor asked with a scowl.

Hermione's face went bright red and she ducked her head. "No ma'am," she responded and the teacher gave her one more look before returning to her lecture. Hermione looked back at Anya. "Are you kidding me? Dragons? That's the first task?"

"I wish I was," Anya replied, twirling her pen around her fingers. "According to Hagrid, the champions need to beat their dragon to get a clue for the second task. If they don't beat it, they don't get the clue and they can't continue."

"Well then, that's the answer. Harry doesn't defeat the dragon and he won't have to continue in the Tournament," Hermione answered. "It's the most logical plan."

"Oh yeah? And where in that plan of yours do you see Harry coming out of that task _not_ burnt to a crisp?" Anya shot back. "Let's face it, Hermione... whether we like it or not, Harry has to compete."

After class, Hermione and Anya decided to head up to Gryffindor tower before dinner and that was when they ran into the third year student, Colin Creevey.

Colin was a really nice kid... once you get past the Harry obsession and the never-ending photography. Anya remembered how back in her second year, the young Gryffindor had slowly drove her friend crazy with all the tailing after them. At least now, it had died down a little.

Anya noticed Colin clutch something in his hand. "What'cha got there, Colin?" she asked him.

Colin grinned brightly and held out the small rectangular polaroid. The girls looked down to see the image of the courtyards of the school and they watched as Moody suddenly appeared in the picture, pointing his wand at Draco Malfoy who disappeared in a swirling wind and a little white ferret took his place.

"Oh... my... GOD! When did _this_ happen?" Anya laughed, taking the picture to examine it more closely.

"Just this afternoon," Colin replied. "Malfoy was trying to hex Harry when his back was turned and Professor Moody stepped in."

"And you're telling me that we missed it? Damn! It must have happened just after I left Harry," Anya groaned.

"Oh, it gets better," Colin grinned. "After he turned Malfoy into a ferret, Moody started levitating him up and down, making him hit his head on the ground, and then he shoved the ferret down _Crabbe's trousers!_" This caused the girls to explode with laughter. He pulled out several other polaroids. "I made extras of this for some of my friends."

And that's what gave Anya an idea.

"Hey Colin, could you do me a favor?" she asked the younger Gryffindor, reaching into her pockets. "Could you make me another four dozen copies of this?"

"Sure Anya. Not a problem," he answered.

"Thanks," Anya grinned, holding her hand out to the boy. When he held his out, she dropped ten gold galleons into his palm. "Will this cover it?" The little boy's eyes grew wide and he nodded silently. "Great! Just get them to me when you have the chance. And don't tell anyone, 'kay? Thanks." And with that, she tugged Hermione through the portrait hole.

"What on earth are you going to do with fourty-eight copies of the same picture?" the brunette asked her friend.

Anya gave her an impish grin. "You know how the saying goes- 'vengeance is sweet'."

,:~:,

The girls worked together for days with Harry, teaching him the spells he would need to beat his dragon in the first task. They covered the basics: protection spells, water charms, and other things. The trickier bit was teaching him how to summon things to him.

Moody had a talk with Harry, saying that he should use his strengths to his advantages. And since Harry's greatest strength was flying, he would use the summoning charm to summon his Firebolt. Of course, Harry who could only be who he was, tried to summon a chair on one of the first tries. Let's just say that Hogwarts was seriously lacking in some items by the time they were finished. But at least, he learnt the spell right.

Before any of them knew it, the day of the first task had arrived. When most of the students went to the stadium that had been built for the task, Anya and Hermione slipped away from the crowd and hurried over to the tent where the champions were preparing. Anya was sure that Hermione had regret that since.

Rita Skeeter, the blonde airhead that works for the Daily Prophet, was in the tent. When Hermione lunged at Harry, fearful that he might not survive going up against the dragon, Rita's cameraman took a picture and Rita started going on about 'young love'. Anya kept to the shadows, far out of Skeeter's view, and stayed there until the woman sauntered her way back out of the tent grinning like a cat taking to cream. Anya had gone as far as to pulling her wand out of her sleeve to hex the tabloid-trash queen, but she didn't do anything. All it would do was add fuel to Skeeter's fire of gossip.

"Anya." Anya turned back around to see Cedric standing behind her. "Guess you came to cheer on Potter, huh?" he asked, causing Anya to roll her eyes.

"Honestly Cedric, I'm not getting in between that. I'm rooting for Hogwarts' champion_s_, not just one in particular. Harry never wanted this but you know as well as I do that once Harry's name came out of the Goblet, he had no choice but to compete. And I wish people would stop with the whole 'I'm-holier-than-thou' bullshit because if they were in Harry's place, they'd want people to believe them."

The older Hogwarts champion held his hands up in surrender. "Hey, I'm not saying that I think Potter cheated- not at all. I actually feel kind of bad for the bloke. He's always going through something bad, so it has to be hard on him." He smiled. "But he's lucky. He's got really good friends like you to help him out."

Anya smile back at him. "Thanks Cedric. Good luck today with the task." And with that, she gave Harry her wishes and dragged Hermione to the stadium.

Of course, watching the champions taking on the dragons was very nerve-racking. Cedric got burnt, Fleur nearly got burnt herself, and Viktor nearly got squished. And Harry really scared Anya. He flew off at one point on his Firebolt, but the dragon he was facing- a very mean and short-tempered Hungarian Horntail- broke free of the chains that held it to the stands and flew off after him. Even worse was when Anya hear the old bridge get destroyed by the dragon and she was scared that something happened to her friend. But the weight was lifted off her heart when she saw him fly back into the stadium and captured the golden egg.

After that, the house of Gryffindor went up to their tower and celebrated the victory of their champion. The egg was opened at a terrible shrieking errupted from the crystal center. Then Harry and Ron finally forgave each other and Hermione acted a little funny about that. She hugged them both, muttered something about how boys can be so thick and she walked away. Anya came up behind them and smacked them both in the back of the head. "You guys pull something like this again, and I'm hexing you both into next week." She then gave them a quick hug before joining in with the rest of the celebration.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AC: I bought a couple dozen copies of the Malfoy-Ferret pic? Why's that?<strong>_

_**MMM: Revenge.  
><strong>_

_**AC: How?  
><strong>_

_**MMM: You get to choose.  
><strong>_

_**AC: *thinks about it before grins impishly*  
><strong>_

_**MMM: That's my girl!  
><strong>_

_**Don't forget to review, you guys! We're so close to 300!  
><strong>_

_**AC: PLEASE! PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE!  
><strong>_

_**Nancy (aka megamatchmaker)  
><strong>_


	45. Year 4 Ch10

****_**MMM: Hey there! So, it's midnight here in Canada, and I'm posting the new chapter up now. Why? Because I'm going to be gone in about... 10 hours from now. My parents have time off from work and my big sis is on vacation, so we're getting away from the crappy weather here for the next 4-5 days to head down to Atlantic City for a bit. Computer is, once again, staying behind. You know, that's one of the things that bother me? People go on vacation, and their kids bring laptops or iPads or whatnot. I mean, it's a vacation, people! You're meant to grow closer on the trip, not wrap yourself up with a fricking electronic!**_

_**Ok, rant over. Anyway, like I said- I'm going away for a bit, leaving laptop at home, so I'm posting this now.  
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_**AC: So you're gonna be stuck in a car for... what? 8 hours? Maybe even 9?  
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_**MMM: Yeah. So?  
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_**AC: To go to Atlantic City? The closest thing to Las Vegas without going to Las Vegas?  
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_**MMM: Yup.  
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_**AC: But you're not old enough to go into the casinos. Why bother going?  
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_**MMM: Anya, I could go to Las Vegas and I wouldn't step foot into a casino. I'm not a gambling kind of gal. Never saw the point.  
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_**AC: Oh. Well, have fun!  
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_**MMM: Thanks. Now, on with the story!  
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_**Disclaimer: HP isn't mine. I'm not a multi-million dollar writer. I'm just a young lady who enjoys writing fanfiction.**_

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><p><strong>Ch.45 What Makes You Beautiful<strong>

Things were starting to go a lot smoother now since the first task was done. The rest of the student body finally realized that Harry didn't cheat and the insults ended, save for the few shot at him and 'Potter Stinks' badges from Slytherin students.

And speaking of Slytherin students, Anya had successfully been avoiding a certain blonde Slytherin for weeks. Whenever Draco tried to talk to her, she would just leave without even sparing him a glance, and every gift and note that he sent to her, she would send them back, unopened. Even Vi, who had tried so many times to get Anya to forgive the Malfoy heir, had finally let up about it, for which Anya was very grateful for.

So as the weather started getting colder, it was announced that the Yule Ball was going to be held on Christmas Eve. Girls were always giggling and gossiping, sneaking in ball gown magazines and talking about make-up tips. Even Anya got into the spirit, flipping through pages of her own magazine during History of Magic class with Vi.

And the dance lessons were the best- the first one especially.

Instead of their usual double potions lessons one Friday afternoon, the Golden Quartet, along with the rest of the fourth year and fifth year Gryffindors, found themselves in one of the school's many empty classrooms with Professor McGonagall. Anya chuckled and snapped a quick picture with her digital camera she had brought with her when McGonagall had Ron come up to show the rest of the group how to waltz. The poor boy's face was so red, one couldn't tell where the hair ended and the skin began. And when everyone else was suppose to join in, Anya was pleasantly surprised the only boy who actually stood up was Neville and came to ask her to dance. For somone who was normally very shy and clumsy, he was very light and graceful on his feet.

The only thing that Anya wasn't sure about was if she was even going to attend the ball. Sure, she had never been embarrassed about going to a school dance without a date, but she had been at that age where girls thought boys were 'icky' and now, seeing all the other girls in school get asked by some handsome boy made her feel a little self-concious. Not to mention, the last big party she had been to hadn't exactly ended well.

Harry and Ron hadn't seem to have as much luck either- mostly Harry. Every time he went to go and ask the beautiful Asian Ravenclaw student, Cho Chang, something always came up, and by the time he finally got up the courage to ask her, she already had a date. And Ron was too busy admiring Fleur Delacour's ass to actually ask her. Not to mention that he was embarrassed beyond belief when his mother had sent him his dress robes: an ugly burnt orange/maroon color with lace at the collar and cuffs and a cravat with a big black bow already attached to it.

One Saturday morning, when Hermione and Anya were outside admiring the first snow fall of the season and sipping at mugs of hot chocolate, Vi came running along so fast, she was nearly creating a tornado of the white flakes in her wake.

"Hermione! Anya! I have _fantastic_ news!" Vi exclaimed, bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet.

"What?" Anya asked, hiding her knowing-smile behind the rim of her mug.

"Ivan asked me to the Yule Ball!" Vi cheered. "He just asked me before! Down by the lake!" She held up a perfect pink lily from behind her cloak. "Look! He charmed this and gave it to me! Told me that it won't wilt ever!"

"How romantic!" Hermione gushed as she hugged the Irish beauty.

"I know, right?" Vi giggled as she hugged Anya. "I was actually really nervous. I mean, all those times I ran into him, I would act like a complete idiot. I was so sure that he'd think I was some complete mental person and wouldn't even give me the time of day, but no! He completely caught me off guard. What I'd like to know is how did he know where I was or what my favorite flower was." Anya took a large gulp of her hot chocolate to look as innocent as possible, but Vi saw right through it. "You?"

Anya smiled and gave a shrug. "I figured I owed you one with the whole Draco thing."

"What Draco thing?" Hermione asked and Anya mentally cursed herself. Hermione didn't know.

"To put it simple, Draco likes Anya, and Anya likes Draco, though she wouldn't admit it. I helped hook them up for the summer and have been working as their love guru since," Vi announced. "Though it's been very difficult or the past couple of months. _This_ one's being more stubborn than a Venomous Tentaculas plant," she added.

"Oh, please! As if you're one to talk!" Anya was quick to retaliate, ignoring the critical look from Hermione. "You were so freaked out by thinking you'd make a fool of yourself, you went as far as being late for class by taking the long way there just because Ivan was walking up the hall!"

"Excuse me, but why am I only finding out about you and Malfoy now?" Hermione asked her American friend who blushed in embarrassment.

"Because I wasn't sure how'd you take it. I mean, let's face it Hermione- you're not exactly a big fan of him," Anya answered.

"Well of course I'm not a _fan_ of him," Hermione admitted. "I mean, how could I be? He's only made my entire experience at Hogwarts a living nightmare!" Then she smiled. "But you do make a very cute couple."

Any laughed. "Thanks Hermione. But I don't really think we'll be a couple any time soon. I won't be with a guy that treats my friends like dirt."

"And speaking of dates for the Yule Ball... I have one," Hermione admitted. "Viktor Krum."

"I knew it!" Vi and Anya exclaimed at the same time. "Honestly, a _blind man_ could have seen that! He's always staring at you!" Anya continued. "I''m so happy for you!"

"Thanks. But don't tell Ron or Harry. I don't want them to know just yet," Hermione begged the others.

,:~:,

"What do you think of this one?" Hermione asked as she stepped out of the changing stall in a pale yellow dress with a sweetheart neckline and long sleeves. She, Vi, and Anya had gone into Hogsmeade to go shopping for dresses for the ball. Anya had finally decided to go stag even though she had been asked by a few guys.

"Hang on a second! I'm having problems with this thing!" Vi shouted back from inside her stall, grunting as she struggled with her dress.

Anya poked her head out from behind the curtain she was hiding behind and looked at her friend. "It looks nice... but I think it's a little plain. Hang on a second!" She popped back into her changing stall and a came out a moment later with one of the bathrobes offered by the shop. "I'm gonna go find something. Watch my bag?" She held out her purse for Hermione to take before heading off to browse through the racks.

"How do I look?" Hermione turned back to the third stall to see Vi emerge from it in her outfit. The dress had a tight, bustier bodice that had a corset back to it, showing just enough skin to entice but not seem trampy. The skirt was floor length with a small train and perfectly A-line straight. It possessed no sleeves or straps and the crushed velvet was a color very similar to sangria red and held a gentle shimmer. A long chain of celtic knots in silver pewter hung around her hips, the length that hung from the clasp in front swinging back in forth.

"You look smashing," Hermione answered the Irish beauty whose smile grew wider at the comment. She placed one hand on her hip and turned her back to the brunette, sending a kiss over her shoulder with a 'sexy' smile. Both girls started cracking up with laughter.

"Here it is!" Anya exclaimed, coming back with a dress for Hermione and the British girl gasped at it. It was beautiful and simple; just the way she liked it. It had a v-neck that would show just the smallest amount of cleavage and short transparent sleeves, the skirt fell to the floor with a silky material covered in ruffles made of the same material as the sleeves, and a dark purple bow tied around the waist. The dress started as a light pink at the top, fading into dark pink/purple as it progressed down. It was perfect!

"Oh Anya! It's wonderful!" Hermione gushed, taking the dress and holding it up in front of her and spinning around. The material fluttered around gently as she twirled. She was stunned at how Anya seemed to know her better than she knew herself.

"Go try it on!" Anya said. "Then I'll show you girls the dress I picked out for myself." As she was about to hop back into her stall, she noticed Vi in her gown. "Wow Vi! You look hot! Ivan gonna need a stick to keep the other guys away!"

"Thanks," Vi beamed before she headed back in to change back to her regular clothes.

A few minutes later, Hermione and Anya stepped out of the stalls in their dresses as Vi came out with her choice dress drapped over her arm. The pink dress looked great on Hermione, complimenting the color of her skin and hair.

Anya's dress was simple and yet sexy at the same time. It had one strap coming up in a point over her left shoulder with gauzy material fluttering down in small strips from the top. The body of the dress was tight-fitted, coming out in an A-line skirt. When Anya moved, the other girls could see that there were several slits cut up to a few inches above her knees throughout the hem, showing just enough leg to be sexy but still be respectable. The dress was all made of a silk-like material in a pale blue.

"You two look great! We'll be the hit of the party!" Vi cheered.

After they gushed over their dresses, Hermione and Anya went back to change and once they were done that, they continued to browse for another two hours for shoes and accessories. Hermione settled on flower stud earrings in pale pink crystals and a pair of dark pink strappy shoes. Vi chose a pair of earrings that matched the belt and a pair of patent leather black pumps. And Anya chose a pair of silver earrings with a single diamond hanging off the end and silver heels with straps over the top of her feet and around her ankles. She decided she would charm her lightning bolt necklace into a smaller pendant and on a more delicate chain for the ball.

"Now all we have to do is figure out our hair and make-up and we're done!" Vi announced as the three hopped back into their carriage with their many bags.

"I'll send a letter to my mom to ask my cousin's girlfriend for her advice," Anya said. "Donna's been studying esthetics and hairstyling for the past year. She'll know what to do."

When they got back to the castle, they went up to Gryffindor tower where Anya snapped a couple pictures of the dresses and of each girl so Donna could have something to work with. She wrote a quick message to her mom and stuck it and the extra memory chip with the pictures into an envelope and sealed it closed. She then tied the letter to Starshine's leg, opened the window and let him fly free.

The entire time, the girls were all unaware of what was about to happen very soon.

,:~:,

Anya was sitting by herself up in the library working on her transfiguration essay. Harry and Ron had finally decided to go and try to find dates for the Yule Ball, which was now only three days away and Hermione was God-knows-where. At lunch that afternoon, Ron had pulled one of his stupid stunts by asking Hermione to be his date as a last resort. Of course, the brunette wasn't pleased and she stormed off to wherever she went to cool down. And when Ron went to ask Anya, she just gave him a look that said 'ask me and I'll break every bone in your body' before she left the Great Hall herself.

So now Anya was stuck in the practically deserted library, sitting at the table farthest from the few people that were there with her books and papers scattered around her in an order that no one could understand but herself.

Halfway through writing on how to turn a textbook into a dove, Anya heard something that almost sounded like waves crashing against a beach. Figuring that it was just her imagination, she continued on working. But then she started to hear humming and that was when she knew it wasn't her imagination.

She looked up just in time to see four of the guys from Muggle Music club come around bookshelves into the secluded corner she was hidden away in, each of them holding a red rose. "Hey Matthew. Peter, Patrick, Jason- good to see you. What's going on?" Anya asked, but they just began singing, each of them placing their rose in front of her once they started singing.

_You're insecure_

_Don't know what for_

_You're turning heads when you walk through the door_

_Don't need make up_

_To cover up_

_Being the way that you are is enough_

_Everyone else in the room can see it_

_Everyone else but you_

_[Chorus]_

_Baby you light up my world like nobody else_

_The way that you flip your hair gets me overwhelmed_

_But when you smile at the ground it ain't hard to tell_

_You don't know_

_Oh Oh_

_You don't know you're beautiful_

_If only you saw what I can see_

_You'll understand why I want you so desperately_

_Right now I'm looking at you and I can't believe_

_You don't know_

_Oh oh_

_You don't know you're beautiful_

_Oh oh_

_That what makes you beautiful_

_So c-come on_

_You got it wrong_

_To prove I'm right I put it in a song_

_I don't know why_

_You're being shy_

_And turn away when I look into your eyes_

_Everyone else in the room can see it_

_Everyone else but you_

_[Chorus]_

_Baby you light up my world like nobody else_

_The way that you flip your hair gets me overwhelmed_

_But when you smile at the ground it ain't hard to tell_

_You don't know_

_Oh oh_

_You don't know you're beautiful_

_If only you saw what I can see_

_You'll understand why I want you so desperately_

_Right now I'm looking at you and I can't believe_

_You don't know_

_Oh oh_

_You don't know you're beautiful_

_Oh oh_

_That's what makes you beautiful_

_[Bridge]_

_Nana Nana Nana Nana_

_Nana Nana Nana Nana_

_Nana Nana Nana Nana_

As the four boys began to sing the bridge, they moved out of the way for a fifth person to step up and Anya was surprised to see Draco Malfoy standing there in his best black suit, a thornless white rose held in his hand. He then started singing the solo.

_Baby you light up my world like nobody else_

_The way that you flip your hair gets me overwhelmed_

_But when you smile at the ground it ain't hard to tell_

_You don't know_

_Oh Oh_

_You don't know you're beautiful_

_[Chorus]_

_Baby you light up my world like nobody else_

_The way that you flip your hair gets me overwhelmed_

_But when you smile at the ground it ain't hard to tell_

_You don't know_

_Oh oh_

_You don't know you're beautiful_

_If only you saw what I can see_

_You'll understand why I want you so desperately_

_Right now I'm looking at you and I can't believe_

_You don't know_

_Oh Oh_

_You don't know you're beautiful_

_Oh oh_

_You don't know you're beautiful_

_Oh oh_

_That's what makes you beautiful_

When the singing was done, Draco was down on his knees beside Anya with the rose held out to her. Anya had been so amazed that Draco had gone to such lengths that she didn't even realize that the other guys had gone. "Anya, I've been a complete arse. I shouldn't have accused Potter the way I did and I want to apologize for it. I know I probably have done so many stupid things in the past that you'd probably never really forgive me, but I really would like to have a second chance. Anya Collins, will you allow me to escort you to the Yule Ball?" he asked her.

Anya took the rose he offered at took a sniff of its lovely fragrance. She turned around in her seat back to her books which she began to collect and shove back in her bag. She could see out of the corner of her eye that Draco was starting to get worried and she turned her back to him to avoid him seeing her smile. "Anya?" he asked desperately.

She let out a laugh before turning back to him and launching herself into his arms. The sudden movement along with the surprise of it caused him to fall backwards. Any words that he had planned to say were quickly silenced when Anya pressed her lips against his in a gentle kiss. "I forgive you," she whispered when she pulled back. "And I would love to go to the Yule Ball with you."

,:~:,

Draco felt like the happiest bloke on the planet as he walked out of the library a little while later. After pouring out his heart out to the girl he loves, Anya forgave him and accepted his invitation to the ball on Christmas Eve. After that, they spent the next five minutes simply giving each other light kisses before Anya grabbed one of the books she had been reading off the table and continued working, sitting between his legs and leaning back against his chest. He had his arms wrapped around her tiny waist the whole time as he leaned against the wall behind him, switching from reading over her shoulder to kissing her cheek. This was how he had always wanted it to be like- for her to be comfortable around him. To let all her guards down and enjoy their time together.

When they finally left the library, Anya made him promise that he wouldn't tell anyone about them going to the ball together. Although he was a little put out that he couldn't take verbal pride that he would get to be with the most beautiful witch, he respected her wishes. He would do anything to please Anya, for she had bewitched him from the very moment he met her.

But the immense pleasure he felt was soon deflated as he walked into the Slytherin common room. Because the moment the stone wall opened for him to enter, Pansy Parkinson noticed him standing there. With her flirtiest smile, she sauntered up to him and pressed herself close to him. "Hi Drakie," she giggled and Draco had to fight the urge to vomit.

"What do you want, Parkinson?" he growled as he pushed her away.

She pouted and began fiddling with her short skirt. "You haven't asked me to the Yule Ball yet. I know we're going together, but still..."

Draco growled again before pushing past the annoying pureblood witch. "As if," he muttered. Even if Anya had rejected him, he still wouldn't go with this little slut.

"Drakie!" Pansy whined and when he turned back to glare at her, he was certain that she couldn't mistake the fury in his eyes for anything less.

"_Don't call me Drakie_," he hissed at her with all the maliss his Malfoy blood gave. "And for the record, we are _not_ going to the Yule Ball together. In fact, I would appreciate it if you refrained from ever coming near me again," he told her as he walked to the boy's dorm room.

"Why?" Pansy questioned as she followed him to the door. "Is it because of your precious _Anya_?" she spat the American girl's name out like a disease. When Draco stopped in his tracks, it only confirmed it. "Are you joking?! Why her?! She doesn't _belong _in our world! She's nothing but a filthy little Mudblood who doesn't even deserve to have magic!"

"She's a thousand times the witch that you could ever even _dream_ of being!" Draco shot back, pushing her against the stone wall with his hand around her throat. "And if you ever talk about her like that again, I'll rip you limb from limb. Am I making myself clear?" he hissed in her ear.

"Y-yes!" Pansy gasped and he let her go.

"And for the record, if you tell anyone about any of this, you will regret it. _That_, I can assure you." And with that, he slammed the door in her face.

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><p><em><strong>MMM: Whoo! Draco's getting intense!<strong>_

_**DM: You wrote it that way. Why are you surprised?  
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_**MMM: Oh, I'm not. I just thought it'd be funny to say it.  
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_**Anyway, the song I used is 'What Makes You Beautiful' by One Direction. And yeah, I know the song only came out this year, but let's just pretend that it came out around the time the HP series are based in. As for the dresses Anya and Vi chose, Vi's dress was an idea made up by my sister, Lisa (THANK YOU LISA!) and Anya's is the blue dress Amanda Bynes wears at the debutant party in 'What a Girl Wants'. And the scene where Draco asks Anya to the Yule Ball, I pretty much based it off the similar scene from another Amanda Bynes movie, 'Sydney White'. Yeah, I like Amanda Bynes.  
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_**So, my bag's all packed, every chore needed to be done is done, and I am getting ready to hit the sack. If anything, I can just sleep in the car on the way.  
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_**Hope to hear from you guys!  
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_**Nancy (aka megamatchmaker)  
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	46. Year 4 Ch11

_**MMM: Sorry you guys! I know I missed the last week. I was out getting the proper uniform needed for my classes. It's my first day of the esthetics program tomorrow and I am anxious! But I'm also a little nervous. The thing is that the program is in French only and my French isn't as good as it should be. I know, I know... I'm Canadian French should come easily to me. But it doesn't always. After all, my parents used to speak in French when my sister and I were younger when they were planning something they didn't want us to know about yet (Christmas gifts, surprise parties, etc.), I grew up in an apartment building on a block with no other kids to talk to, and the only time I was around other kids that weren't family was at my ENGLISH elementary school. Yeah, you get the idea.  
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_**So I'm sorry to say that 'When Opposites Attract' won't be updated as often as it has been in the past. Since I'm going back to school and the entire course is in French, I'm going to need to focus hard on it. Don't worry! This story isn't going to be discontinued! It's just going to be longer than 7 days between chapters.  
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_**Anyway, let's get to the story! I know I'm behind!  
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_**Disclaimer: HP isn't mine. Period.**_

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><p><strong>Ch. 46 The Yule Ball<strong>

Before anyone knew it, it was Christmas Eve and everyone was frantic to get ready for the ball that night. In Anya and Hermione's dorm room, one could have sworn that they were backstage at a fashion show. The other girls were dashing back and forth from the bathroom and their beds, fighting over mirrors and make-up. Anya, Hermione, and Vi- who they had invited to get ready with them had taken up the space on Anya's bed, all her make-up supplies and hair tools spread out so that the only way one of the other girls could get to them were by asking Anya. When it came to borrowing things, Anya was a little picky on who to lend to.

"Could you hold still Hermione?" Anya begged as she move her friend's head back into place. "I can't curl your hair properly if you keep moving all the time!" She waved the hot curling iron to emphasise her words.

"Sorry Anya, I'm just too excited about tonight!" Hermione giggled.

"Well how about you stop moving though?" Vi suggested, pulling the make-up brush away from Hermione's face. "Otherwise you might wind up looking like a clown with burnt hair." The brunette sat as still as she could. "That's better," Vi smiled before going back to work while Anya finished curling and pinning Hermione's hair into place. After they were done, Hermione and Vi switched places and Anya began working on Vi's hair, doing it in the big, beautiful curls Donna had suggested. Anya had already taken care of her own hair, straightening and pinning half back.

By the time six o'clock rolled around, the girls were finished, dressed, and drop dead gorgeous.

"I'm so glad you decided to come to the ball tonight Anya," Hermione said as they headed down to the Great Hall. "I was worried you'd be all alone up in the dorm room."

Anya smiled. "Thanks Hermione, but I'm actually not going to be alone tonight. I have a date."

"Really? Who?" Vi asked, but Anya pursed her glossy lips. "No fair," Vi mumbled.

"You can wait for five minutes. Now come on! Let's go!"

,:~:,

Draco was starting to get anxious, nearly to the point where he would start pacing soon. He could hardly keep still as it was as he waited outside of the Great Hall. He watched as Vi came down the steps and he sent a smile her way when she looked at him. As she passed by, she gave him a wink and a thumbs up. He knew she must of figured out that he was Anya's date tonight. He looked up the staircase to when he saw a figure stand at the top and he had to admit that Granger looked nice.

But when Anya stepped into view, he was in awe. On the night of the party back at Malfoy Manor, Anya had looked stunning, but it was a different style. Tonight, she had the very unique beauty all of her own that he had fallen in love with.

Ignoring Potter, who was now staring up at his friend in amazement, Draco pushed his way through the crowd to Anya. He bowed his head and held his arm out to her so he could lead her into the Great Hall which was decorated from top to bottom in white and ice crystals.

As he passed by Pansy and her last-minute date, he could see the Slytherin girl glaring daggers at the witch on his arm. Anya's eyes followed his line of view and when she saw the look Pansy gave her, she bowed her head. "You look beautiful," Draco whispered in her ear, giving her a light kiss on the cheek. When she smiled up at him, he felt his insides melt at the pure bliss of seeing that smile.

Throughout the evening, Draco saw that Anya had the attention of most of the boys in the school and although he felt jealous, he couldn't blame them. He would often find himself glancing to his side during the dinner, taking in her beauty. And when they danced the big waltz that everyone had practiced for the past few weeks, he felt like he was waltzing around on clouds with an angel in his arms. How did he get so lucky?

"Anya!" The two teens looked to see the famous Quidditch player of Bulgaria and Granger come towards them as they stepped off the dance floor. "I'm very glad you could make it," Viktor told her with a bow. "You look lovely tonight."

"Thanks Viktor," Anya beamed up at the older wizard before she pulled Draco forward. "Viktor, may I introduce my date for the evening, Draco Malfoy. Draco... well, I guess you don't need me to tell you who this is," she smiled.

"Pleasure," Viktor said as he shook the younger wizard's hand. Draco just stood there amazed. Viktor Krum was his favorite player of all time and he always dreamed of meeting the man face-to-face. "Well, if you will excuse us..." And with another bow to Anya, Viktor lead the other muggleborn witch away.

"Hey Draco, are you alright?" Anya asked the blonde.

"I'm terrific," he told her with a smile. "How about a drink?" he suggested, leading her in the direction of the punch bowl.

"I have to admit, I'm really glad I agreed to come tonight," Anya announced as they took their drinks back to their table. "I almost feel bad for sending all those pictures of Ferret-You to everyone I knew that graduated. And for sending that enlarged version with the Sticking Charm to Slytherin common room." Draco nearly sputtered on his punch.

"What?" he asked, and she gave a sheepish smile in return.

"I was still pissed off at you. It was kind of my way of getting back at you," she told him. Then she gave a light laugh. "But you have to admit... the idea of you being turned into a ferret is kind of cute." Although he was a little embarrassed about being called 'cute', he couldn't help but laugh at it.

"You wouldn't think it was cute if you were the one shoved down another bloke's pants," Draco answered with a shudder, causing Anya to burst in another fit of giggles.

,:~:,

Anya couldn't have wiped the smile off her face even if she tried. The night had just been perfect. Sure. She hadn't talked to Harry or Ron since earlier that same day and she knew she was going to get an earful for it later, but she was alright with that. She just wanted to enjoy tonight.

But it didn't look like the night was going to stay perfect. Just as Anya and Draco stepped off the dance floor, Anya could see and hear Hermione and Ron as they walked out of the Great Hall, having a heated discussion over something. Excusing herself from the blonde, she ran off after them.

"...Next time, pluck up the courage to ask me before someone else does! And not as a last resort!" Hermione shouted to the redhead.

"What's going on here?" Anya asked the two and the look from Ron could have turned the freshest milk sour.

"I'll tell you what's going on!" Ron snarled. "_You two_ are fraternizing with the enemies!"

"Enemies?! Who the hell do you think you are?!" Anya shot back. "A few days ago, you wanted Viktor's autograph and were practically worshipping the ground he walks on, and now he's the 'enemy'? And Draco isn't the enemy either! He's a really nice guy- you just can't get past the fact that he's a Malfoy!"

"Have you forgotten what the Malfoys are like Anya?!" Ron questioned. "Malfoy's been nothing but trouble since first year! His father nearly got Ginny _killed_! Hagrid nearly lost his job because of that little weasel! How can you take his side after everything he's done?"

"For your information Ron, no- I haven't forgot about what Draco's _father_ is like! But I can assure you that from what I've seen from him and his mother over the summer, Draco is just a regular guy that like so many other teenage boys, is a victim of peer pressure. It's not like he _chose_ to be a Malfoy! No one gets to choose who their parents are!"

"That's completely beside the point! He doesn't deserve you! All he'll do is get your hopes up and then crush them!" And with that, the youngest male Weasley marched off. Anya glared after his retreating figure before kneeling down on the steps beside the brunette who was now in tears.

"Don't listen to him, Hermione. He's just feeling sorry for himself because he was too stupid to ask you first," Anya reassured her friend.

Hermione wiped at her eyes. "You really think so?"

"Absolutely!" Anya smiled, earning a slightly watery one from the other witch. "Besides... you know how Ron is- he doesn't think before he talks. Unless it's about food or Quidditch." This earned a laugh from the brunette. "You want to head back to the party?"

"No... I think I'm going to go to bed. It's been a long day," Hermione answered.

"Do you want me to come with you?" Anya asked as they stood up from sitting on the steps.

"I'll be alright. Besides," Hermione gave a smile to her friend, "I wouldn't want to take you away from Mr. Perfect, as you have called him." She then wrapped the auburn haired witch into a great hug. "You two are great for each other." And with that, she headed upstairs.

"So," a new voice sounded and Anya turned to see Draco leaning against the wall with a smirk on his face. "I'm Mr. Perfect, am I?" he teased, giving a light chuckle when Anya started blushing. He pushed himself from the wall and walked towards her with his hand held out, and Anya felt that humming electric feeling that she always felt when she took his hand.

"Shut up," Anya blushed harder but her smile showed she wasn't seriously upset about him finding out.

"You know you're really amazing, right?" Draco asked her as he led her closer to the outside doors for some fresh air, drapping the jacket of his dress robes over her shoulders. Anya gave him another smile and the two walked around the snow-covered courtyard. When they got closer to a stone bench, Draco was quick to swipe at the thick covering of white flakes that layed on it for them to sit.

Anya leaned her head back, eyes closed as she hummed in appreciation as she kicked off her shoes and let her feet sit in the snow. After several hours of dancing and partying, the ice cold feeling was a relief against the burning ache. She opened her eyes to stare up at the star- clustered sky before looking beside her to see Draco staring at her as if she were the greatest thing on the planet. She blushed again before she scooted closer to the blonde and leaned into his side, resting her head on his shoulder and opening the jacket so that they were both covered. She smiled to herself when she felt his arm wrap around her shoulder to hold her close.

This really was a great night.

,:~:,

Anya slipped through the portrait hole as quietly as possible, her shoes clutched in her hands to help do so. She could only imagine how late it was, and she had this funny feeling that Ron had stayed up in the common room for the night to give her more of an earful about being with Draco.

The windows to the room were covered and there was barely a glow from the embers in the fireplace, so it wasn't a surprise that Anya didn't make it through the common room without hitting something. She let out a curse when she smacked her knee into what she guessed was the back of the couch.

"Wha-?" a sleepy voice mumbled as the person was snapped out of their peaceful slumber. Anya stayed quiet, hoping that the person would just roll over and go back to sleep, but when she heard them mutter "_lumos,_" she knew she was caught. But she was surprised to see that it wasn't Ron who had caught her, but her other friend.

"Harry?"

The young wizard blinked himself awake, fixing his glasses which were hanging off one ear. "Oh... Hey Anya. You're in late."

"What are you doing down here?" Anya asked him, already knowing the answer.

"Waiting up for you," Harry yawned as he stretched. Anya saw that he was still dressed in is outfit from the ball. "I wanted to talk to you about something."

"Ugh! Harry, save it," Anya groaned, making her way to the stairs to the girl's dorm. "I already got that whole 'Malfoy is the bad guy' speech from Ron and I don't need this crap from you too. If you want to grill me about it, then do it in the morning. I had a nice time tonight and you're not going to spoil it for me."

"I _wanted_ to say," Harry began, taking hold of the American witch's wrist to stop her from going further. "Was that I'm happy for you. I may not like the bloke, but if you're happy with him... then I guess what I'm trying to say is that I can learn to accept it."

Anya looked up into his green eyes with a critical look. "Really?" she asked, studying him. "Why?" Anya was skeptical. Harry and Draco had been rivals since they all first started at Hogwarts. Why would he be willing to let him anywhere near her?

"Because although he is a complete arse, I do see you bring out a better side to him," Harry answered honestly. "I may never be alright with it, and I will be ready to rip him to pieces if he even so much as _thinks_ of hurting you. But you seem happier when you're around him so I guess there must be something decent about him."

Before Harry could prepare himself, the auburn haired girl wrapped him up in one of her monster hugs. "Thanks Harry. You're the best," she whispered in his ear. With that, she rushed upstairs.

* * *

><p><strong><em>AC: Aww! Harry, you're so sweet! *bear hugs Harry*<br>_**

**_HP: I know. *hugs back*  
><em>**

**_DM: Hey! Let go of my girl, Potter!  
><em>**

**_HP: *glares at blonde* Sod off, Malfoy!  
><em>**

**_MMM: Boys! Boys! That's enough! *barely dodges flying hex*  
><em>**

**_AC: Stop it right now, or I won't talk to either of you for a month!  
><em>**

**_DM & HP: *stops dueling*  
><em>**

**_AC: Thank you. Now come along! *walks away with both boys following*  
><em>**

**_MMM: Thanks Anya! *turns to audience* Sorry about that. See you all soon!  
><em>**

**_R&R  
><em>**

**_Nancy (aka megamatchmaker)  
><em>**


	47. Year 4 Ch12

**_MMM: Hey you guys! Guess who's back! So, my first two weeks back to school have been great. The teachers are wonderful, the other students are friendly, the homework load is practically non-existant, and the courses themselves are interesting. The only downside? The fact that a lot of my classes are up on the 5th floor and I have to carry heavy textbooks and binders up the stairs._**

**_Anyway, so I figured that I'd try and get a new chapter up for you guys since I know you've all been so anxious. Thank you for being so patient with me. I know that it's super annoying when the author takes a long time between updates. Trust me- I'm anxious for a few stories to continue myself. Anya, would you like to say something about this chapter?  
><em>**

**_AC: Hey everybody! Long time no see! Ok, so in this chapter, there are going to be some really good 'awww' moments, some 'ha-ha-ha!' moments, and some 'hot!' moments. That's all I'm saying. You want to know what I'm talking about? Then read people! Read like your lives depend on it!  
><em>**

**_MMM: Anya... don't you think your being a little bit...dramatic?  
><em>**

**_AC: *turns to author* Sorry, Nancy. I can't help it! I've already had three cups of coffee this morning! *takes a sip of fresh cup*  
><em>**

**_MMM: Good Lord! I'm outta here! *runs off*  
><em>**

**_AC: *hyper on coffee*  
><em>**

**_HP: Well, hope you enjoy the chapter.  
><em>**

**_Disclaimer: My world isn't something megamatchmaker made up. It belongs to J.K. Rowling. MMM does own this particular fanfiction story, though._**

* * *

><p><strong>Ch. 47 Now or Never<strong>

The next few days were... difficult. Ron and Hermione quickly learned to get over their little spat. But it wasn't the same for Ron and Anya's. They were civil with one another, but that was the extent of it. They didn't say a word more than what was needed.

But Anya wasn't too disappointed about it. Whenever she left the rest of the Golden Quartet, she would soon find herself with Draco and she would forget all about her arguement with Ron.

The only thing that they were really worrying about now was the second task. Harry's procrastinating had taken a new toll and now the second task was only days away and he still hadn't figured out the clue in the golden egg. Anya and Hermione had read up on every subject that involded that terrible screaming from the egg's centre, but they could never find anything that would make sense.

"Harry, the task is in less than a week! How are you suppose to actually perform it if you don't hav a clue of on you're suppose to do?" Anya asked the wizard impatiently.

"Really? I had no idea," Harry shot back with a groan. "It's not like I'm not trying. I just can't figure it out."

"I know..." Anya sighed, resting her chin in the palm of her hand. "I just feel like we're missing something."

"Hey Potter!" Both teens looked down at the other end of the bridge to see Cedric Diggory running towards them.

"I'll see you later," Anya told her friend, tugging her cloak closer around herself. "If I don't get back in the castle soon, I'm going to freeze my ass off!" And with that, she ran off towards the castle.

Just as she stepped into the warmth of the school, a pair of arms wrapped around her and she was surrounded by the familiar smell of cologne. She couldn't help but let a giggle escape when she felt the soft feel of a flower's petals brushing against her cheek.

"Hey," Draco whispered in her ear, tucking the stem of the white lily behind her ear.

"Hey," Anya grinned back, turning in his arms and wrapping hers around his neck. "I missed you," she told him.

"I missed you more," he smiled before pressing a kiss against her lips. Then he took her by the hand and they ran to their spot up in the Astronomy tower. People rarely went up there so they had the entire place to themselves. Draco took his cloak and spread it on the floor while Anya unclasped hers and draped it over his shoulders. When he sat down on the ground, she immediately took her spot in between his legs and he wrapped the black material around them both. Anya smiled as she leaned further back into the warmth and security his arms provided.

"So how was your day?" Draco aked.

"Pretty normal," Anya replied, taking his hand in hers and playing with his fingers. "Most of the classes were boring, my attention was on thin ice, and I have been seriously wondering if I might need to go for a CAT scan on my brain later to see why I would willingly put up with all this."

"What's a 'cat scan'?" Draco asked.

"Muggle thing. It's a kind of test people get taken on certain parts of their body to see what is wrong inside of them by X-rays," Anya explained. When she saw the confused look on Draco's face, she shrugged it off. "Never mind. It's really complicated."

Draco shrugged it off before he reached into his bag and pulled out a wrapped package. "I should have given this to you on Christmas, but I kind of forgot."

Anya smiled before pulling out a package from her own bag. "Great minds think alike, huh?" she giggled. They swapped gifts and when Anya tore the paper on hers, she nearly had a panic attack. "HOLY CRAP!"

"What's the matter?" Draco asked her worriedly.

"I can't believe you got me this!" Anya said with amazement, holding up the first edition ever of Gaston Leroux's classic tale of _Phantom of the Opera_. "This must of been a fortune!" Draco just shrugged and Anya's eyes nearly bugged right out of their sockets. "I can't accept this! This is too much!" She went to hand the book back, but the blonde shook his head.

"No, I want you to have it. What good would it do with me? It would sit on the shelf in my room, collecting as much dust as it had in had in the shop I found it," he chuckled. "Besides, I know you love the story."

"How did you-" Anya started asking but she stopped herself when she thought. "Vi..." she huffed and she earned another shrug from the Malfoy heir. "You really like learning about every way to spoil me, don't you?"

Draco gave her another smile before turning to open his gift. Anya, suddenly very embarassed about what she had bought him, began to figit. Draco must have noticed because just as he was about to open the box, he stopped. "What's the matter?" he asked again.

Anya looked down at her hands in her lap and twisted her fingers. "I just feel really silly now... Here you go and buy me something so special and all I get you is some stupid little thing that you'll probably not even like and-"

Anya's words were stopped when Draco pressed his lips against hers in a sweet and innocent kiss. Even in the cold winter air, Anya felt as if her very skin was on fire from the kiss. When Draco pulled away, he laughed at seeing that her eyes were still closed. "I doubt you could ever do something like that. You know me better than anyone I've ever met," he told her with an encouraging smile when she eventually opened her eyes. When she smiled back, he took that as a sign to continue opening the package.

,:~:,

Draco layed back on his bed in the Slytherin boy's dorm room, clutching the pendant that Anya had given him in his hand.

The pendant was of a lion sitting proudly with the body of a snake wrapped carefully around its neck. The eyes of the two animals had been replaced with stones: two purple gems set in the eyes of the lion while two silverly white gems were set in the serpent's. The whole thing was made of perfectly polished silver and was around the same size of a gold galleon.

Draco smiled as he thought about Anya's words when he opened his gift.

_"I just thought that kind of represents us, you know? A Gryffindor and a Slytherin? I took it to the jeweler's to get the stones set in. So that their eyes match ours. See?"_ It really was the perfect symbol of them. Two beings, both from completely different lives, finding completion with one another. Never in a million years did Draco think that this could ever happen to him, and yet here he was, in love with a girl that fit him in every way.

People just didn't get it though. They all thought that a pureblood Slytherin like him would never be with a Gryffindor witch from a family where the only magic blood ran through her veins. They were too different, like a fish and a bird- they could be in love, but where could they both live? But Draco didn't care about that. He would find a way for them to be together. He just had to.

But it didn't stop the redheaded boy's words from the other night to make their way back into his head. Maybe Anya _was_ better off without Draco in her life. After all the bad things he already had done in his young life, what could stop things from becoming worst? Wouldn't she be better off with someone else?

The thought that Anya could one day end things and go off with someone else made a large block of ice form in the pit of Draco's gut. He agreed with Weasley- he didn't deserve Anya. She was a girl with a heart more pure than that of a unicorn. And what could he really offer her except a life of being shunned all because of his family's name?

But even though she knew all that, for some reason she was willing to lay it all on the line to be with him, and for that, he could never thank the heavens enough. This auburn haired angel brought him out of the darkness he was born into and raised by and he was forever greatful.

When the door to the dorm room opened, Draco quickly tucked the pendant under his shirt as Crabbe and Goyle walked in.

"Hey Malfoy. Where did you run off to? We didn't see you at lunch," Goyle said with his thick and rather dumb-sounding voice. Draco surpressed a shudder, thinking about how disgusting his 'friends' were when they ate. It was like seeing a couple of werewolves rip into their meals.

With the familiar Malfoy sneer that he had perfected over the years, Draco stood up from his bed and walked to the door. "What I do when I'm not around you two is entirely up to me. Is that understood?" he growled. The other two wizards, though both much larger than Draco, quivered with fear. For one of those rare moments, the blonde was thankful for the power his family name gave. And without another word to either of them, he left to head to class.

The first thing he noticed when he stepped into the classroom was that Anya already had a partner for the potions lesson. With a deep sigh, he moped as he shuffled off to the last free seat at the other end of the room. Ignoring the fact that his partner for the day was Pansy, he began to work on the sleeping draught.

Halfway through the lesson, a small piece of parchment charmed into the shape of a dragon fluttered on the pages of his book. Looking around, Draco saw Anya smile at him and motion to open the paper. When he did, he saw her familiar handwriting.

_Draco, I really need to talk to you about something. Can we meet up again tonight after dinner? Same place as usual?_

_- Anya_

The block of ice made a quick reappearance in his stomach. What would she need to talk about? He looked back at her to see her staring at him with a worry that matched his own. But when he nodded, he saw a smile take place of the frown on her face which made him smile a little.

,:~:,

Anya kept glancing at her watch every five seconds as she paced. Being as nervous as she was, she had barely touched her dinner and had been quick to head up to the Astronomy tower, and a part of her was grateful for it. She felt as if there was a team of gymastics doing tricks inside her stomach and she would have been lucky to hold anything down.

Anya glanced down at her watch again. 7:00 pm. Dinner should have finished half an hour ago. Maybe he wasn't coming after all? Her worry was beginning to turn into an all-out panic attack.

The door suddenly swung open and Anya let out a sigh of relief when she saw Draco standing there. He seemed to have the same feeling as her when he saw her there because his tense posture instantly relaxed. "I'm so sorry I'm late. I couldn't get around Filch," he apologized.

Anya smiled and shook her head as she stepped into his embrace. "It's alright," she said, basking in the happiness she felt. "I'm just glad you made it."

"So what is it you wanted to talk to me about?" Draco asked as he pulled back to look her in the eyes. "It seemed pretty serious."

Anya blushed, looking down as she shuffled her feet._ 'Guess it's now or never,'_ she thought. Taking a deep breath, she looked back up. "I know Draco... about the bracelet and the gardenias- all of it."

It was Draco's turn to blush this time. "How did you figure it out?" he asked.

Anya shrugged. "I have my ways. And Vi helped. But I want to know something. Why me? I mean, there are plenty of other girls at this school- ones that fit in your world better than I ever could."

Draco's brow scrunched up in confusion. "What do you mean 'my world'? You're a part of the wizarding world too. Just because you weren't born into a wizard family doesn't make you any less of a witch."

"It's not just that," Anya said with a shake of her head. "I'm talking about everything- I'm from America, you're from here. I'm a girl from a middle class and you've probably had servants waiting on you hand and foot since you were in diapers. I've spent most of my life having to fight for the respect I have and you've been born with people bowing at the very dirt you walk on. How could I not think that there would be someone better for you?" As hard as she tried not to, her mind went back to that night at Malfoy Manor when Pansy told her about the arranged marriage.

Draco's hand came up to cup her cheek and she found herself leaning into his embrace. "Anya... you are the most amazing girl I have ever met. You're kind and funny and beautiful..."

"Oh please!" Anya giggled, causing the blonde to laugh too.

"I'm serious! A bloke would have to be blind to not see how special you are," Draco continued. Anya looked up into his eyes and saw nothing but sincerity and praise in them.

"I love you," she whispered before she could even think about it. But she couldn't find it in herself to be embarassed or worried. The words flowed out so easily when she thought about him.

Draco froze for a moment, and as Anya watched, a smile of absolute happiness blossomed on his face. Before she knew it, he picked her up in his arms, one arm around her back with the other hooked behind her knees, and he spun her around. Anya giggled again and he continued swinging her around and around. She was starting to get dizzy, but she couldn't find it in herself to tell him to stop.

When Draco set her back on her feet, she found herself back off them when he began kissing her as if he would never get the chance to again. "I love you," he kept whispering against her lips between every kiss. He pulled back slightly to stare into her eyes and she could have sworn that she would have melted on the spot at the passion in his silvery orbs. "I love you Anya Collins," he whispered.

"And I love you Draco Malfoy," she whispered back before yanking him down and began kissing him all over again. Her fingers threaded through his hair, tugging him closer and she felt him pull her close- so close that she would have sworn they had melted into one another. When he pushed her up against the wall behind her, Anya's legs came up and wrapped around his waist. Her moan was swallowed by Draco's mouth when his hands came up and held her up by her butt. She unconsiously grounded into his pelvis, earning a loug groan from the Malfoy. She ran her hand up under his shirt, feeling the strong muscles covered by the smooth, unblemished skin and she felt her blood's temperature heat up by a few degrees. And when his tongue swiped across her lips, asking for entrance, she granted it.

"What the bloody hell is going on here?!" The two heated teens pulled away from each other's lips and turned to see Ron Weasley standing at the door. Anya let out a small yip, unhooking her legs from Draco's waist to stand on her own and she hid her face in his chest, her cheeks flaming red. She noticed Draco shuffle around and she felt something hard press into her hip and her face grew even hotter. Had she caused that?

"Get out of here, Ron!" Anya shouted at the redhead, wrapping her arms tightly around Draco's back. If she had been on thin ice before on the Draco topic with Ron, she was probably on the end of the firing squad now.

Ron kept glaring at the blonde in front of his friend, but when he looked at Anya, he saw that she seemed more embarassed about being caught than anything else and he realized that his thoughts that Malfoy was trying to force himself on the American witch were false.

With a sigh, he turned to leave. But before he did, he looked back at the Malfoy heir. "If you do anything to hurt her, I will hex you," he threatened.

Draco pulled Anya closer into his embrace. "I'd sooner die," he replied. Ron seemed satisfied with that answer because he left. When the sound of footsteps died off, Draco pulled away to look at Anya. "Are you alright?"

Anya blushed but nodded. "Yeah... I'm just glad it was only Ron that found us. Could you imagine what would have happened if McGonagall or Snape had walked in on us?" she laughed.

Draco laughed whole-heartedly before he pressed a kiss into her hair and wrapped her back in his arms. "So where does this leave us now?" he asked.

Anya looked up at him with sparkling eyes. "I guess this leaves us in the 'boyfriend/girlfriend' stage... If you want it to be," she was quick to add.

"I'd be honored to get to call you mine," Draco smiled.

And was the beginning of their relationship. But even all this time later, the words that Pansy had told Anya were always in the back of her mind.

* * *

><p><em><strong>MMM: *pokes head back into view* Is Anya over her caffeine buzz now?<strong>_

_**HP: Yeah. *looks down at sleeping Anya*  
><strong>_

_**AC: *snore* *drool*  
><strong>_

_**MMM* sighs with relief* Thank God! Alright then- let's get her upstairs.  
><strong>_

_**MMM & HP: *struggle up stairs carrying Anya*  
><strong>_

_**Don't forget to review, everyone!  
><strong>_

_**Nancy (aka megamatchmaker)  
><strong>_


	48. Year 4 Ch13

**_MMM: Hi there. So I've got another chapter ready for you guys. Hope you all like it. I'm trying to get some typing done this weekend, but I'm not sure how much I'll get finished. The skies over here look ready to open up and dump the rain on our heads and it's so dark, I almost need my lamp to see what I'm doing. It's only 1 in the afternoon! Can you say crazy? Well, at least I on't have to go out in this weather. That's a plus._****  
><strong>

**_Anyway, let's start with the actual chapter, shall we?  
><em>**

**_Disclaimer: HP isn't mine, blah blah blah... You get the picture._**

* * *

><p><strong>Ch. 48 The Second Task<strong>

Anya wasn't positive on the who started it, but the news that she and Draco were officially together spread through the school like wild fire. It could have been Ron, but she knew that he knew that if he had squealed, she would have done a lot worse than just hex him. But Anya was glad that it was out in the open. Now she didn't have to hide all the time- no more private meetings late at night and secret glances during class. It was truly a blessing.

Things were even starting to look up with the other Slytherins. Although the house of snakes despised the idea of one of their members assosiating with a muggleborn, they gave her more respect than she ever had from them in the past three years. Being the official girlfriend to the Slytherin Prince had some privileges, it would seem.

The only downside to it all were the comments from people from the other houses- mostly Anya's. They didn't try to hide their obvious distaste to the relationship and they spoke their minds, saying how she and Draco were 'doomed to fail' or 'could only end in disaster', but Anya didn't pay any attention to them. If their relationship failed, then it would be their choice, not because of the opinion of a bunch of idiots who wouldn't know love if it bit them on the ass.

Anya walked along the crowded halls, skimming through the pages of notes she had prepared for her upcoming potions test, when a familiar figure in black robes came running around the corner up to her and wrapped an arm around her waist. "Hey man, careful!" Anya giggled, shoving the papers back in her bag. "I might get a paper cut," she teased.

Draco laughed as he pulled her closer into his side. Anya smiled at how carefree he seemed to be lately. It was like a whole other side to him and she was positively elated with the knowledge that she was the cause of it. She sighed when his pressed a kiss against her temple and she wrapped her arm around his waist.

"So... what'cha up to?" Anya asked the blonde as they walked along the cold corridor.

Draco shrugged. "I thought we could go grab some food from the kitchens and have an early dinner up in the Astronomy tower. How does that sound?" Anya was about to answer when another figure pushed their way through the crowds up to the two love-struck students.

"Anya!" Hermione gasped as she tried to catch her breath. "Thank God! I've been looking all over for you!"

"Well... here I am," Anya joked, spreading out her free arm in a jesture to show herself. "What's up?"

"We need to go," Hermione answered, tugging on the auburn haired girl's arm. "Harry found out about the clue in the egg last night." She leaned in closer so Draco couldn't hear. "It's mermaids in the Black Lake. Harry's next task is in there."

"Well when's the next task?" Anya questioned, trying to remember the date that had been announced at the end of the first task.

"It's tomorrow!" Hermione exclaimed. "Now come on!"

"I'll meet you in a second!" Anya called after her brunette friend who was already running back the way she came- undoubtedly going to the library. Anya sighed before turning back to her boyfriend. "Rain check?" she said with a weak smile. Draco sighed but nodded in response. She went to give him a quick peck on the lips but his hand shot up and held her in place before she could pull away. The kiss lasted a few seconds before he finally let her pull back, leaving Anya in a dazed state. "What was I going to do?"

Draco let out another laugh. "I'll see you later," he smiled before pressing a kiss to her forehead and heading off. Anya stood there in the now deserted hall like a fool until he disappeared around the corner. Then, snapping out of her stupor, she ran off in the opposite direction towards the library.

,:~:,

"Are we almost done?" Ron questioned miserably while closing the large textbook in front of him with a loud smack. "I'm hungry," he whined.

"Me too," Anya grumbled as she sat back in her chair, holding at her stomach as it made noises. "Quiet you!" she hissed at her abdomen which only let out another loud noise before going quiet once again.

After a little advice from Cedric, who was returning the favor for the last task, Harry had taken the golden egg up to the prefect's bathroom on the third floor and opened it under water, and instead of the screeching noises like usual, it apparently began singing some kind of song.

Hermione came around with a new set of books, handing them out to the two hungry students. She then turned to the fourth member of their group of friends. "Harry, tell me it again," she demanded.

The boy leaned forward and rested his chin on the pages of the book open before him. "'Come seek us where our voices sound,'" he began reciting the riddle from the golden egg, lightly smacking his chin back down on the book with each word. It was clear that he was tired of repeating this.

"The Black Lake... that's obvious," Hermione huffed, taking said egg and shoving it into Ron's chest. The redhead, who had been very close to falling asleep, instantly woke up and grabbed hold of it before it fell to the floor.

"'An hour long you'll have to look,'" Harry continued and Anya sighed as she cracked open the book in her lap.

"Again, obvious... though potentially problematic," Hermione stated and Anya had to hold back a snort.

Harry looked up at the brunette with a stare that clearly said 'you're joking'. "'Potentially problematic'? When was the last time _you_ held your breath under water for an _hour_, Hermione?" he snapped at her.

"I can honestly say that I'm a good swimmer, but no one is that good," Anya commented, reading the contents pages of the book before snapping it shut. "Well, this won't work. This involves potions and stuff for _beauty treatements_." If the reason for this overnight study group hadn't of been so serious, Anya might have laughed at the obvious mistake.

Hermione blushed before snatching the book up. "That's mine," she mumbled, holding the book tightly to her chest.

Anya rolled her eyes before turning to the dark haired wizard. "Don't worry Harry... we'll come up with something," she promised him.

Just then, the four friends heard a familiar squeaking noise and grunting. They turned to stare down the book isle to see Professor Moody come around the corner. Anya surpressed the shiver that crept up her spine when she saw the oversized eye in his head flicker to her for a moment. "Sorry to break up this little affair, but Professor McGonagall would like a word with you." Harry began to gather his things but Moody stopped him. "Not you Potter- just Ms. Granger and Mr. Weasley."

"But sir, the second task is only hours away," Hermione insisted.

"Exactly, and I'm sure that Mr. Potter is more than prepared and could do with a good night's rest," Moody replied. And with a curt nod towards the othe end of the isle, he commanded Ron and Hermione to leave their friends. The two remaining students began to hastily gather the papers and books. "Longbottom!" Moody barked and Anya finally noticed the other Gryffindor student was standing there. "Why don't you help these two with their books?" he suggested before leaving.

"You know, you don't have to help Neville," Anya said with a tired smile. _'Maybe I can sneak into the kitchen and grab a sandwich or something before bed,'_ she thought as he stomach let out another grumble. The last thing she wanted was to get kicked out of the girls' dorm room because her gut wouldn't stop sounding like a backed-up sewer.

"It's alright," Neville smiled, setting his copy of _Magical Water Plants of the Mediterranean _down. He then turned to Harry, going on and on about different plants that he had read about. Anya tried to caution the Gryffindor student that her friend wasn't in the mood to talk about things like that, but Harry snapped at him before she had the chance to. She felt sorry for Neville when she saw his head hang and his shoulders slump. _'Maybe Vi would be interested in talking with him... if she ever stays away from Ivan longer than five seconds.'_

"Now if there's a... Tibetan... turnip, that can allow me to breath under water for an hour, then great. Otherwise..." Harry trailed off, the reality that he could possibly die tomorrow setting in and striking fear in his heart.

Neville looked back up. "I don't about a turnip... but you could always use Gillyweed."

,:~:,

"I can't believe that you of all people are sneaking into a teacher's private supply!" Anya whispered as she followed her friend through the deserted halls of the school very early on in the morning. She let out a tiny giggle. "Who'd of thought that there was really a mischievious guy in you, Neville?"

Neville looked over his shoulder and gave her a smile before he stopped outside of Professor Snape's office. "OK, here's the plan," he began. "I'll slip into Snape's office and find the Gillyweed. While I do that, you keep a close eye out for anyone."

"Sure, just hurry up, will ya?" Anya begged him. "The last thing I need today is to be found by Mrs. Norris or Filch. I'm already in hot water as it is with him." Neville gave her an odd look so she quickly explained. "He thinks I'm the one who stuck half the school's supply of toad's brains up on the ceilings on the fifth floor." With another nod from her fellow student, he disappeared through the door.

Standing alone in the barely lit corridors of the dungeons was very unsettling. With every flicker from the torches along the walls, shadows were cast and Anya's heart leapt into her throat with fear that they were caught. As it was, she let out a tiny 'yip' when Neville came back out of the office. "Did you get it?" she asked him. He held up a handful of what looked like slimy, grey-green rat tails. Anya grimaced as he dumped it in the jar she had brought with them. "Yuck. Come on- we've gotta split before Snape catches us." And with that, they ran back up the stone steps.

"So how exactly does this stuff work?" Anya asked later on as they walked into the Great Hall for breakfast.

"Well... you eat it. And you grow gills and your hands and feet become webbed... kind of like a frog's. It's suppose to last for an hour."

Anya grimaced again and pushed away her bowl of porridge, opting for a bowl of dry cereal instead. "Well, I'm glad I don't have to eat it. It looks like something that a cat hacked up and-" She stopped midsentence. "Hang on. Did you say it's _suppose_ to last for an hour?" she questioned, giving him her signature look.

Neville's face held a look of sheer horror: for the information he was about to give or the inevitable response he was going to receive, Anya wasn't sure. "Well... there have been multiple debates among herbologists about how the plant works and its affect with salt water vs. fresh water-"

"Are you serious?!" Anya exclaimed, earning more than her fair share of looks from the students around her. With a glare at the now trembling boy beside her, she stood up from her seat and yanked him out of the Great Hall by the sleeve of his sweater. As soon as they were away from the prying eyes of Hogwarts' inhabitants, she let her fury out. "You're telling me that this _amazing _plan of yours just_ happens_ to have a possible loophole in it?! The task is in an hour! If you're telling me that Harry could end up being fish food, I am going to hex you myself!"

"I'm sorry!" Neville whimpered. He had seen first hand what Anya was capable of, with and without magic. And he knew that he was about to be on the receiving end of one.

"What's going on here?" The two Gryffindors turned back to the doors leading into the Great Hall to see Draco walk up towards them. For the first time in his life, Neville was actually glad to see the Malfoy heir. Draco glared at the boy before him before wrapping his arm around Anya's waist and pulling her close to his side. "Everything alright?" he asked her.

Anya took a calming breath, inhaling the sweet smell of Draco cologne. No matter what, it always seemed to calm her. "It could be better," she answered him. And before she could say or do anything else, Draco swooped down and kissed her with so much love, it made her toes curl. Ignoring the now embarrassed and somewhat flustered Longbottom, she wrapped her arms around his neck, returning the kiss tenfold.

"Better?" Draco grinned when he pulled away.

Anya hummed in appreciation. "Better," she whispered against his lips before pressing hers against them for a quick peck. "Hold it right there, mister!" she shouted over her shoulder, not even having to look at Neville, who had been slowly backing away from the couple. She turned back to him and shot him another glare. "You- take this," she instructed, pulling the small jar containing the plant they had stolen just hours before and tossing it at him. "Give it to Harry. _You'll_ be the one who tells him what you just told me. Understood?" Neville just silently nodded before he turned around and ran back into the Great Hall.

"What was that?" Draco asked, wondering what was in the jar.

Anya waved it off. "Long story."

,:~:,

Draco watched as Anya kept fidgetting in her seat beside his. The second task was about to start in a few minutes and as the seconds ticked by on the giant clock, she came more and more nervous. "What's wrong?" he asked her, hoping he could do something that would help her calm down. She practically looked like she was ready to pass out.

Anya said nothing. Draco was about to ask again when Dumbledore's voice rang through the stands, announcing the beginning of the task. Draco saw Anya literally jump out of her seat when the shot of the cannon exploded halfway through the speech. Draco had to hold Anya back for she was leaning far too much over the railing- she would have fallen into the Black Lake for sure.

"Come on Harry," Anya kept muttering under her breath. Draco knew that Anya worried for the safety of her friend, but he'd never seen her act like this before. He was about to ask her what was the cause when she let out a great big "YES!" Looking down at the waters below, he saw a figure dressed in a red shirt and black swimming trunks shoot out of the water, do two backflips in mid-air, and dive back in the water. "Thank God," Anya breathed with relief.

"Was that Potter?" Anya nodded to Draco's question. "Bloody hell! I didn't know he could do that!"

Anya beamed up at him. "It pays to have friends who know a thing or two about magical plants."

The hour passed by slowly with everyone's gaze fixed on where the champions had disappeared under the water's surface. When the first figure broke through, Draco was impressed Fleur Delacour had already completed the task, but he couldn't help but laugh when Dumbledore's voice announced that she wouldn't complete it. He laughed again when he heard Anya mutter "prissy-ass drama queen" under her breath. About two minutes after the hour was up, two more figures appeared: Cedric Diggory and the girl Draco recognized as Ravenclaw's Quidditch seeker. A minute after that, two more appeared.

"Whoa! Talk about cool!" Anya exclaimed as they watched Viktor Krum's head changed from that of a shark's back to his natural form. "Wait a minute- is that... Hermione?!" And with that, Anya sprinted to the closest stairway to head down, and Draco followed.

"What were you doing in there?" Draco heard Anya ask her friend once a couple of other students pulled the brunette out of the water. Ignoring her dripping wet form, Anya pulled Hermione into a hug. "God, you're freezing!" she gasped, already shrugging out of her cloak and wrapping it around her friend.

"Last night... when Professor McGonagall wanted to speak to Ron and myself... she cast a special sleeping spell on us," Hermione said through chattering teeth. Thinking quickly, Draco took out his wand and ripped a piece of cloth from the inside of his jacket, transfiguring it into a thick quilt before drapping it around the muggleborn witch. Hermione stared at him with surprise. "Thanks."

"Do you mean Ron's still down there?" Anya asked.

Just as she did, coughing sounded from the water and the three turned to see a familiar head of red hair burst through the surface. Beside Ron was a much younger girl, possibly ten or eleven at the most, with long blonde locks. Draco watched as the youngest male Weasley helped the little girl out of the water and she was quickly engulfed in a hug by Fleur.

"Ron!" The redhead turned and was nearly thrown back into the water when Hermione and Anya wrapped him up in a hug. "Where's Harry?"

"You mean he's still not up yet?"

Draco saw the scared look on his girlfriend's face, and the fear struck him when he saw she shed her coat and kick off her boots. But just as she was about to try and jump into the water, the final person came flying out of the darkness. "Harry!" Anya was the first to tackle the wizard with a hug. "Thank God you're alright!" she cried into his chest.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AC: That was so freaky! My heart's going a mile a minute in my chest!<strong>_

_**HP: But we're fine Anya. Don't worry.  
><strong>_

_**AC: I'll worry if I want to worry, Harry James Potter! And I was worrying!  
><strong>_

_**DM: Anya love, calm down. You're scaring the readers.  
><strong>_

_**AC: *looks to frightened readers* Oops. Sorry.  
><strong>_

_**MMM: Well, that's it for this chapter. See you guys!  
><strong>_

_**Nancy (aka megamatchmaker)  
><strong>_


	49. Year 4 Ch14

_**MMM: I've decided to post two chapters up this weekend. Don't ask me why though, 'cause I don't really know myself. I guess I just want year 4 to be over with soon. I'm not bored with my story! Heaven forbid! It's just that I've got some good ideas for the next few years and I've already got a sequel planned, and I'd really like to get to them.**_

_** Just finished typing up the first chapter of year 5 yesterday. (Like I said, school work is non-existant, so I've got some time on my hands.)**_

_**Anyway, I hope you guys like this chapter. As you can see by the chapter title though, it's not going to be an easy time this shot.  
><strong>_

_**AC: What's that suppose to mean?  
><strong>_

_**MMM: What I just said- it isn't going to be an easy couple of days. There's going to be some slightly disturbing news and whatnot.  
><strong>_

_**AC: Will it get better?  
><strong>_

_**MMM: You know as well as I do that this is pretty much the end of 'Candyland' happiness. Bad things are coming your way Anya, and for your friends too.  
><strong>_

_**Disclaimer: HP isn't mine.  
><strong>_

* * *

><p><strong>Ch. 49 Bad News and REALLY Bad News<strong>

"I can't believe this! She's done it _again_!" Anya looked up from her music sheets to see Hermione practically fuming with anger. The American witch watched as her friend tried to rip up the magazine in her hands, only to throw it on the table with a huff before letting out a groan as she hid her face in her folded arms on the table.

"What are you talking about, Hermione?" Anya sighed, snatching the magazine up and began flipping through the pages. When she came across an article that read _'HARRY POTTER'S SECRT HEARTACHE'_, she knew what had her friend losing her temper. "Oh."

"'Oh'," Hermione scoffed. "'Oh' would be putting it mildly."

"What did the Tabloid-Trash Queen write this time?" Anya asked, opening the magazine again to see for herself.

"She's writing that I'm Harry's girlfriend and that I'm going behind with back with, and I quote, 'Bulgarian bon-bon Viktor Krum'. And she has a quote from Pansy Parkinson that I apparently used a _love potion_ to get their affections. Can you believe that- that _bitch?!_" Hermione exclaimed, shocking Anya. Since when did she ever swear?

"Who? Skeeter or Parkinson?" Anya asked sarcastically. "This is stupid! How can people actually believe crap like that? It's totally insane!"

"And yet people seem to just gobble it up, don't they?" Hermione groaned.

"Hey Granger!" The two girls looked up to see Pansy herself standing there, flocked by a couple of equally ugly Slytherin girls. "Think you can help me out with a little problem? I've got two guys that I'm dating and I don't know which one to choose!" she taunted.

"I always knew you were a slut, Parkinson," Anya snarled. "But a two-timing slut too? Wow, that'll be one for the diary," she snorted.

"What did you just call me?" Pansy snarled back, stepping closer.

"I'm pretty sure you heard me loud and clear, _slut_," Anya smirked. But when Pansy raised a hand to her, Anya punched the girl right in the nose. Pansy's head whipped back from the force and her hand came up to her face. When she removed it, blood was slowly dripping down her face.

"You bitch!" Pansy screamed.

"That's Ms. Bitch to you," Anya smirked again.

"Ladies!" All of them turned to see Professor McGonagall marching up to them.

"Professor! Professor!" Pansy began whining, acting as if she had been fatally wounded, not given a good smack in the schnoz. "Anya Collins attacked me for no reason what so ever! Am I right girls?" she asked her friends who nodded in agreement.

"That's not true!" Hermione shot back. "Pansy tried to attack Anya first! Anya just defended herself!"

"Did not!" Pansy barked out.

"That is enough!" McGonagall barked at the bickering girls. She pointed at Pansy. "Ten points from Slytherin from attempting to strike a fellow student, Ms. Parkinson." She turned to Anya. "And ten points from Gryffindor for actually doing so, Ms. Collins."

"Whatever," Anya huffed as soon as the Transfiguration teacher left with Pansy in tow. "Little bitch deserved it."

"That was very impressive." Anya looked over her shoulder and smiled as Draco appeared behind her, wrapping his arms around her in a protective embrace. "I didn't know you had it in you."

Anya sent him an 'are-you-kidding-me?' look. "I've taken down Crabbe and Goyle when I was only eleven. Do you seriously think that some skinny-ass twig of a bimbo like Parkinson would be a challenge?" She pressed a hand against his forehead. "Are you feeling alright?" Draco just laughed at her joke as he reached up to take Anya's hand in his and press a kiss against her knuckles. Anya only now just realized that her hand was actually tingling with a numbness of pain. She hadn't put that much force behind her punch. _'Parkinson must have a thicker skull than I thought.'_

"Are you almost ready to go?" Draco asked.

"And where might I ask are you two off to?" Hermione questioned, her motherly-like instincts kicking in.

"Around," both teens answered before running off. Hermione shook her head. _'Probably off to go snogging,'_ she thought with a chuckle.

,:~:,

"This was a great idea, you guys," Anya sighed, breathing in the fresh air as she and her friends finally arrived in Hogsmeade village. The weather was at its all-time warmest for March. She tied up her hair in a pile on her head and shrugged off her jacket, tying the sleeves around her waist. She then turned to her friends. "What made you decide to do this?"

Harry shuffled his feet and patted the bag at his side. "We're going to see Sirius today," he told her.

Anya blinked in surprise. "Sirius? As in your godfather- that Sirius?" Harry nodded. "How the hell is he going to get past everyone here?"

"Animagus," Hermione replied and Anya felt the urge to slap herself on the forehead for forgetting.

After the Golden Quartet had finished shopping in Gladrags Wizardwear for new socks for their favorite house-elf, who Anya had brought them to see several times, and some new robes for Sirius, they wandered aimlessly. Eventually, they followed a path that led them far away from any prying eyes of the tiny village. Waiting for them there was a large black dog with a rolled-up newspaper in its mouth.

"Hello Sirius," Harry greeted the dog as they approached it. The dog walked up to him and sniffed at the bag expectantly, wagging his tail back and forth. The action had Anya nearly bursting in a fit of giggles, for she could hardly believe that this playful animal was the same wizard who most of the wizarding world thought to be a ruthless killer. The dog's head turned to her and he walked up close and nudged the bag in her hand.

"Fresh clothes," Anya told him, shaking the bag.

Sirius just nodded his head, flopping ears bouncing with the movement, before he began to trot away, leading them to the base of a mountain. The ground was littered with hundreds of rocks and boulders and for a creature with four legs, it was easy for him to walk it. And Anya, who had spent most of her summers on camping trips with her parents and being a naturally adventurous person, was a skilled climber and could maneuver around the path with ease. The rest of the Golden Quartet, however, was out of breath before they were even halfway up.

"Harry, do you need me to take that for you?" Anya offered, motioning to the backpack he was carrying. By the look on his face, she could tell the shoulder straps were digging into his shoulders. With a sigh of relief, the dark haired boy handed it over eagerly. Anya just stuffed the bag of clothes in it, shrugged it on and continued climbing, barely even putting any effort into it at all.

"Blimey!" Ron huffed as they finally reached their destination: a narrow passageway in the face of the mountain, which led into a cool and dimly lit cave. "How far up are we, exactly?"

"My guess? Nosebleed City," Anya joked as they slipped through the crack. When they were inside, they saw a familiar creature there. "Buckbeak!" Anya cheered, almost rushing towards the hippogriff head-on, but she held herself back long enough to bow to the creature. Once he returned it, she continued, meeting him halfway. "How are you boy? Oh, I missed you!" Anya cooed at the animal, stroking his neck affectionately. Buckbeak chirped with happiness. He had missed her too.

"Hey there! What about me?" Anya turned back to see the dog was now replaced by the familiar wizard who was godfather to her best friend. His grey robes from Azkaban were even more ragged than the last time she'd seen him, his black hair even longer, and he was even thinner- if that could be possible. "Where's the love?"

"Sirius!" Harry laughed, giving the man a quick hug. Anya giggled at that before she shrugged off the backpack and handed it over to him. "Oh, thanks," Harry blushed, almost forgetting about it. He handed it over to his godfather who opened it eagerly and began eating away at the chicken legs and loaf of bread he pulled out of it.

_'Man, he looks like he hasn't had a decent meal for months!' _Anya thought. _'Maybe I can ask Dobby if he could make some turkey and that potato salad he makes. I wonder if Mom and Dad could send some desserts too. An untraceable enlargement charm could come in handy to bring that all back here... I wonder if there are any decent temperature charms to keep it all fresh?'_

It was in that cave where the four friends learnt some very surprising facts about one Mr. Bartimus Crouch: that he had a son who had been caught working with Death Eaters who were planning to try and bring Voldemort back into power after Harry defeated him. How Crouch gave said son over to the Dementors of Azkaban without a second thought where the boy of hardly nineteen died within a year in the prison. And how that act cost Crouch his only chance at ever becoming Minister of Magic and he'd never returned to his former glory after such a fall from grace.

"But could Crouch actually be that crazy as to risk the life of a fourteen-year-old?" Anya asked Sirius.

"Who knows?" was the answer she received.

,:~:,

Things were only getting worse as the days progressed. First, there was the incident in the kitchens, where a very drunk Winky- Mr. Crouch's ex house-elf - stated that there was in fact a very deep secret on the Crouch family. But of course, even being so slammed as she was, Winky refused to say anything against her 'master'.

And then there was all the hate mail Hermione received from anonymous witches and wizards. Each one, more or less, saying the same thing: 'Harry Potter could do so much better than you,' 'You have some nerve treating Harry Potter the way you are,' 'Go back where you came from, mudblood!' and so on. One letter even contained undiluted Bubotuber pus that left painful boils on the brunette's skin. Threats and curses came in at rapid fire... all because of Rita Skeeter and her need for a juicy story.

"But how does she keep finding out about these things? The only ones who knew them were us!" Anya exclaimed as they finished their Care of Magical Creatures class. "She's not even allowed on school grounds anymore! And there's no way any of us would actually tell her!"

"Maybe she bugged Hermione?" Harry suggested,

"'Bugged'? You mean... she put fleas on her or something?" Ron asked, clearly confused about it. So Harry had to explain the electronic devices. But Anya and Hermione were quick to squash that theory, for they knew that most electric devices wouldn't work properly at Hogwarts with so much magic in the air. Even Anya's MP3 player had to be specially spelled each day in order for it to be functional. They knew Skeeter had to be doing this with magic... they just didn't know what kind it was.

Later that evening, in hopes of getting away from all the trouble that seemed to come at them from all sides, the Golden Quartet decided to visit Hagrid for a little stroll through the Forest after dinner while he attended to some unicorns he had found the other day.

"Yeh know, I remember when I first met yeh lot," Hagrid stated as the four friends walked along. "Biggest bunch of misfits I ever laid eyes on. Suppose you remind me of meself. Now, here we are- four years later."

"We're still a bunch of misfits, Hagrid," Ron laughed.

"Speak for yourself, Weasley!" Anya teased, swinging around the trunk of a thin tree before smacking him in the arm. "_I_ happen to be the purest of us all."

"Yeah right!" Ron laughed again, pulling her towards him and messing with her hair. "You're the one who's always pulling pranks on everyone in school!" Anya pushed him off and brushed her hair away from her face. "You're almost as bad as Fred and George, these days."

Anya huffed. "Am I the one who kept sneaking out after hours? No- that would be you or Harry. Did I go looking for trouble in the Forbidden Forest and nearly get killed by a bunch of spiders? No- that was you boys." She ticked off several other events with her fingers before crossing her arms with a smug smile on her face. "Now out of the four of us, do I really look like someone who behaves badly?"

"I can count a couple of times where you bent the rules to the point of snapping," Ron whispered, not wanting the half-giant behind them to here. "Polyjuice Potions, sneaking into Restricted Sections of the library... Dating Malfoy."

"Don't start that again!" Anya groaned. "I thought we were past all that. Besides, since when is dating a guy from a different house against the rules?" The redhead said nothing. "I rest my case."

"Well, at least we still got each other," Hagrid grinned. "And Harry of course. Soon to be the youngest Triwizard Champion there's ever been!" he shouted to the skies with victory. "Hurray!" Then he began belting of Hogwart's school anthem, Hermione and Ron joining in. But Anya didn't join in like they did.

Instead she watched as Harry walked further from the group. Ducking from under Ron's arm on her shoulders, she skipped over to her other friend's side. "Hey Harry, are you alright?" she asked.

Just as she did, Harry gasped in pain, his hand shooting up to press against his forehead. She barely was able to manage to keep him up on his own two feet. And when he finally stagger into standing on his own, Anya tripped over a tree's roots that were jutting out of the ground.

At least, she had _thought_ they were roots.

When Anya turned to push herself up off the ground, she came face to face with a very dead Bartimus Crouch.

Anya opened her mouth and screamed.

,:~:,

Draco burst through the doors of the hospital wing, not caring that he pushed so hard that they ricocheted off the walls with a loud 'bang'. His silvery eyes darted around the room and they finally landed on the reason why he had stormed in.

Anya was sitting on a bed, hunched over with shivers, her violet eyes wide with shock and her knuckles white from clenching at the blanket around her shoulders. Madame Pomfrey was in front of the younger witch, trying to coaxed her into taking some tea. On the other side of the room, Professor Moody and the headmaster were talking with Potter.

Ignoring the healer, the Malfoy heir quickly walked over to his girlfriend's side. Although he knew it was normal that she would be jumpy after seeing a dead man's body, he still wished that she wouldn't shield away from his touch. He wanted to help her forget what she had seen.

Everyone knew that Mr. Crouch wasn't feeling well. He hadn't been around Hogwarts ever since the first task. But for him to just suddenly appear at the school, and dead no less, it just wasn't what anyone was expecting.

"Ms. Collins, you must drink this," Madame Pomfrey insisted, holding the cup out again for the younger witch to take. But Anya just shook her head, wrapping the blanket even tighter around herself. "It will help you sleep better." When the American girl said nothing, Draco took the cup for her and the matron went to give them some privacy.

"Anya love, you really should drink it," Draco gently coaxed his girlfriend.

She looked at him. "You Brits all have the same idea- 'drink some tea and it will all be better.' Well, no amount of tea is going to make this disappear. A man is dead. Do you not understand that?" Her voice was emotionless, for the shock of seeing a dead man was settling in.

"Anya?" Both teens looked up to see the third student in the room was in front of them. Harry sat down on the other side of Anya and placed his hand on her shoulder. "Are you alright?" Draco was close to growling with anger now. She had just fallen over a corpse, and he thought she was 'alright'? How thick could Potter be?!

"Not really," Anya admitted. With a sigh, Anya took the mug out of Draco's hands and drank its contents down in one gulp. The cup smashed as it dropped from her fingers and her eyes closed as she fell forwards. Both boys rushed to keep her from falling.

"I told her to take it in small sips." The Slytherin Prince and the Boy-Who-Lived looked up to see Madame Pomfrey standing there. "The potions in it were very powerful."

"Potions? What potions?" Draco asked, looking back at the now peaceful face of his girlfriend. With Potter's help, they layed her out gently on the cot and Draco carefully draped the sheets around her.

"A sleeping draught and a dreamless draught. With the shock this poor girl's gone through tonight, there was no possible way that she would get any sleep tonight. Professor Dumbledore insisted that I give it to her," Madame Pomfrey explained. She pulled her wand out of her sleeve and pointed it at the shattered mug on the floor, which repaired instantly and floated into her hand. "As for you two, I suggest that you leave and allow Ms. Collins to rest." And with that, she shooed them off into the hallway, closing the hospital wing doors in their faces.

Draco felt eyes on him and he turned to see his school rival staring at him with a critical eye. "What do you want, Potter?" he sneered.

The dark haired wizard shook his head and held his hands up in surrender. "Nothing. I'm just a little surprised... You really care about her, don't you?"

Draco's hand itched to reach up and pluck the pendant Anya gave him from under the collar of his shirt, like he often found himself doing when he worried about her. Another part of him just wanted to rub the fact that he had the most amazing witch in the school as his girlfriend in Potter's face. "You don't know the half of it," he answered.

"I think I do," Potter insisted, following the Slytherin as they headed to the grand staircase area. "You want to make sure she never gets hurt. That you could take away every bad thing that's ever happened to her. You want to be the one who she'll run to when she's scared or hurt or sad.

"Anya is the closest thing I have to a sister, and there isn't a day that goes by where I'm not grateful to have her as my friend," he continued. "So let me make it very clear when I say that if you do anything that would hurt her feelings- even the slightest thing possible- I will hunt you down and rip you to pieces with my own two hands." And with that, Potter left, leaving a very stunned Draco in his wake.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AC: You had me trip over a dead body?! How sick are you?!<strong>_

_**MMM: It was vital to the chapter! How else do you expect Harry and Draco were suppose to have a conversation that didn't end with a fist or a spell flying?  
><strong>_

_**AC: *grumbles but agrees*  
><strong>_

_**MMM: Good. Now, go get some more sleep.  
><strong>_

_**READ AND REVIEW! PLEASE!  
><strong>_

_**Nancy (aka megamatchmaker)  
><strong>_


	50. Year 4 Ch15

_**MMM: SORRY YOU GUYS! I wanted to post this up sooner, but I've been stuck in bed with the flu for the past week! Trust me- not fun! Couldn't keep anything down- not even water, been drinking so much orange juice, I think I might turn into one soon, and my nose has been running like a faucet at full speed. Still feeling pretty crappy, actually.  
><strong>_

_**So anyway, this is pretty much a filler chapter, if anything. Nothing really special. But as you can see from the title, someone is going to get embarrassed.  
><strong>_

_**AC: Who exactly is that 'someone'?  
><strong>_

_**MMM: Who do you think? *smirks*  
><strong>_

_**AC: Oh! You did not-  
><strong>_

_**MMM: Anya Collins is a creation of my mind, along with anything involving her life. I don't own the Harry Potter world.**_

* * *

><p><strong>Ch. 50 A 'Little' Embarrassing<strong>

When Anya woke up the next morning, the first thing she felt was the warmth enveloping her hand. Looking to her side, she saw Draco sitting in the chair beside her bed, his hands gently holding hers. When he saw that she was awake, he sighed with relief. "Hey," Anya whispered with a sleepy smile.

"Hey you," Draco smiled back, kissing the back of her hand affectionately. "How are you feeling today?"

Images of a dead Mr. Crouch found their way back into Anya's head, causing her to frown and she didn't even know why. It wasn't like she was close to the man or anything, and he had been her number one suspect for submitting Harry's name in the Goblet of Fire. So why would she be so upset if he was dead or not? She wasn't really sure. "I've been better... but I'll be ok."

Draco seemed satisfied with her answer and he leaned forward to press a kiss to her lips. "I'm glad," he whispered when he pulled back.

It was then that Anya noticed the disheveled look her boyfriend was sporting. His blonde hair, normally so perfectly styled, looked as though he'd been running his fingers through it all night. The clothes he was wearing, which she remembered seeing him in last night, were crumpled and out of place on his frame. There were circles under his eyes, not big enough to notice unless you looked closely, but they were there.

_'He stayed up all night... for me?'_ she thought, her heart swelling with love towards this wonderful wizard. Reaching up, she pulled him down and kissed him whole-heartedly while she wondered how she found such an amazing guy.

"What was that for?" Draco asked, his voice heavy with desire, After all, that kiss was nothing but sinful.

"Just you being... you," Anya replied with a smile.

"Well, remind me to be myself more often," Draco chuckled.

After that, Madame Pomfrey came in to check up on her patient before releasing Anya from the wing. The matron told the young witch to take it easy and to avoid stress as much as possible.

But that didn't stop people from questioning Anya about the previous night. The second she and Draco had stepped into the Great Hall for breakfast, a crowd of students flooded towards them, their questions all blurring into an odd chatter. If it hadn't of been for Professor Dumbledore, who demanded everyone's attention for the morning announcements, Anya was sure she would have been drowned by the swarm.

"Hey Anya," her friends greeted her; wary of how fragile a state she was in.

Anya rolled her eyes as she started stacking her plate with food. "It's alright, you guys. I'm not going to break in a thousand pieces with a single word." She munched on a piece of toast. "I tripped and fell on a dead guy. I wasn't expecting it, sure. But it's not like I was going to go through life without ever seeing a corpse, right?" The three friends all shook their head. "Exactly. So can we please drop this?" They all agreed.

But throughout the day, Harry, Ron, and Hermione all kept a close eye on Anya, each one of them thinking that the smile Anya was sporting was a mask for what she was really feeling.

,:~:,

Anya sighed deeply from her spot in Draco's arms. After class, they had gone to the Black Lake and sat on the banks, watching the giant squid which resides there as it floated along the surface, basking in the warmth of the sun. Anya sighed again.

"What's the matter?" Draco asked her.

"Hmm? Oh, it's nothing... just trying to relax," Anya answered.

"Only trying? You mean being around me isn't relaxing?" he teased, his fingers lightly tickling at her sides. Anya laughed and squirmed, and Draco laughed at seeing her do so. He let her rest back into his arms and his hand came up to run through her hair. "But honestly... what's troubling you?"

Anya sighed again before turning in Draco's arms so she could face him, sitting sideways in his lap. "It's just... Everything. The last task is in a month and Harry needs more time to train for it. Rita Skeeter keeps coming up with new articles that pretty much humiliate my friends. And now, with Crouch found dead on school grounds, people are on edge about that. I honestly don't know what'll happen next and I hate it. I've always felt like I was in control with my life and now... I feel like I'm not even me anymore."

"Hey," Draco cooed, cupping Anya's cheek and bringing her face back to look at him. He looked into her violet eyes and he could see the fear in them: the fear for the safety of her friends, the fear that Hogwarts wasn't as safe as it had once been, and the fear that her life would never be her own again. "It'll be alright. I promise you."

"How can you be so sure?" Anya questioned, clearly doubting him.

"Because I know everything," Draco joked, causing the auburn haired witch to chuckle. "Ok, so I don't know _everything_- that's your department. But I do know that I'll do whatever you need me to for you to be alright. And that you can bet on." Anya seemed pleased with that and she leaned into his embrace, wrapping her arms around his waist.

"Have I ever told you how great you are?" Anya sighed as she snuggled her cheek against his neck. Draco just smiled.

Suddenly, the sky opened up and rain started falling in a thick sheet. The American witch in Draco's arms squealed as she stood up, holding her hands over her head to shield herself from the rain. Draco laughed at her child-like ways before he shrugged off his outer robe and held it over their heads. "Come on! Let's get inside!" he yelled over the falling rain and with that, the two ran as fast as they could towards the cover of the castle.

"God, we're soaked!" Anya laughed merrily, shaking out her hair of the water that had seeped through the jacket. Draco shook the jacket out before running his fingers through his own wet hair. Anya's violet eyes darted over in his direction before she averted them all together. "You're... umm... you're a little..." she stuttered, pointing at him.

Looking down at himself, Draco saw just exactly what was making his girlfriend blush so badly. His black slacks were practically hanging off his hips, and his white shirt was soaked right through, sticking to his body like a second, see-through skin. He looked at her and saw that she was more or less in the same shape as him: her school slacks molding to her long legs and her shirt just as see-through as his... but he wasn't the one that was sporting a blue bra underneath his.

When Anya looked down at herself, she let out a high pitch 'yip' and wrapped her arms around her, trying to shield her undergarments from the rest of the school's population. She gave a sheepish grin but Draco could see the humiliation shining in her eyes so he quickly draped the drenched robe over her shoulders.

"Well... umm," Anya blushed, clutching the robe close.

"Yes... well... You should probably go get out of those wet clothes," Draco suggested.

"Right. You too," Anya replied. She then gave him a quick peck on the cheek and rushed off towards Gryffindor tower.

,:~:,

"Ugh!" Anya groaned, flopping down on her bed, dressed in a fresh pair of black sweatpants and her favorite USA flag t-shirt, her hair now dry and slightly frizzy from the rain water. What happened earlier had to of been one of the most embarrassing moments of her entire life! Sure, Draco hadn't seen anything, technically, but that didn't chance the fact that she had pretty much been exposed to her boyfriend! Of all the days she had decided not to wear a tank underneath her shirt.

And the looks she received when she entered Gryffindor tower... with a _Slytherin _robe draped around her! Although most of the students in her house knew she was dating the Malfoy heir and they more or less respected her choice in boyfriend, it was as if seeing the green and silver colors in the sanctuary of the house of lions was a slap in their faces or something.

Anya debated about going downstairs for a quick bite for dinner, but she decided against it. The last thing she needed was people staring at her throughout the meal.

Instead, she yanked her book bag up onto her bed and pulled out her music notebook. She kept trying to come up with a new song, but the words were stuck in her head. Eventually, she gave up with a huff, shoved everything back in her bag and lay back on the bed, clutching her pillow in her arms. Before long, she fell asleep.

Anya dreamt that she was back outside by the Black Lake with Draco again, and the sky opened up just as it had done earlier. But instead of rushing back into the school, the two teens quickly ducked to shelter that a nearby tree provided.

And then suddenly, they were in each other's arms, kissing with a hunger that left them breathless. Her hands ran up and down his chest before she started undoing the buttons of his shirt, peeling the drenched fabric from his body. He did the same for her, his lips travelling down the length of her neck and down to her chest, licking and biting at the skin he revealed to the cool air.

"Draco," Anya moaned, cupping the back of his head as he kissed down the center of her chest. It was as if someone had lit a fire in her belly and it spread through her entire being, from her toes to the roots of her hair. It was remarkable. She closed her eyes at the sheer pleasure of it all.

Draco moaned as well as his hands came down and cupped the back of her thighs. Instinctively, Anya wrapped her legs around his waist as he pressed her up against the trunk of the tree. She barely registered that instead of the black pants, she was wearing a school uniform skirt instead. What did register was the feeling of his calloused fingers skimming along the bare skin of her thighs, causing the heat that ran through her body to drop into her lower stomach.

"Anya," Draco whispered hotly against her ear, his voice thick with lust. "Anya..."

"Anya. Anya, wake up!" Violet eyes snapped open to see that she wasn't by the Black Lake but back in her bed up in Gryffindor tower. And it hadn't been Draco who was calling her name, but Hermione, who was trying to get her to wake up.

"You were talking in your sleep," Hermione stated. "Well, more like moaning. Is everything alright?"

"Fine!" Anya grimaced at the squeakiness her voice sounded. She cleared her throat as she climbed out of bed and slipped into the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

Looking in the mirror, Anya saw just how much the dream had affected her: her skin was flushed and sweaty, her eyes were darker than normal, and she was panting with the desire. Desperate to cool down, Anya ran the cold water and splashed a little against her face. She took a few deep breaths, hoping to calm down her beating heart which was threatening to jump through her chest. Once she figured that she was presentable, she headed back into the main room.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Hermione asked again, worry clear on her face.

Anya just smiled. "I'm fine. It was just a dream. That's all," she answered, slipping back into bed and pulling the covers up to her chin.

_'Could that have possibly gotten any more embarrassing?'_ Anya thought to herself as she stared out the window. _'First, I pretty much walk through school with my bra on display for everyone to see, and now my friend is the one that wakes me up when I'm having a sexy dream about my boyfriend? How could that get any worse?'_ But then she figured that it was better that Hermione had been the one to find her up in their bedroom instead of being found downstairs in the common room by a random student, or worse- Harry and Ron.

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><p><em><strong>MMM: Well, that's it for this chapter! See you next time! Don't forget to review!<strong>_

_**Nancy (aka megamatchmaker)  
><strong>_


	51. Year 4 Ch16

**_MMM: YIKES! I forgot the end of year 4! How could I be so- so- STUPID?! I want to kick myself now. UGH!_  
><strong>

**_AC: Ok Nancy, just calm down. It's not that big of a deal. Just re-post the right chapter now.  
><em>**

**_MMM: I know that! It doesn't make me feel any less of an idiot now though, does it?  
><em>**

**_AC: *shrugs* How should I know?_**

**_MMM: *sighs* Fine. Anyway, here is the RIGHT chapter 51. Sorry about that. I'll post the 52nd chapter up again after this.  
><em>**

**_As usual, I don't own Harry Potter. Do you think I'd still be writing for free if I did? lol  
><em>**

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><p><strong>Ch. 51 The Third Task and Farewells<strong>

The Golden Quartet spent every moment possible helping Harry train for the final task for the Triwizard Tournament. He had alread mastered the four-point spell, along with the stinging jinx and a few other spells. Anya tried to teach him a blasting curse, but they stopped bothering when he accidentally lit a desk on fire. And they all gave up on the binding spell when each of them were found in the classroom, tied by the thick ropes. Instead, they mostly stuck with spells for protection and defensive spells.

According to Harry, the third task involved a deep maze where the Triwizard Cup was to be placed somewhere inside, and the four champions would have to navigate their way through, facing many obstacles and beasts.

Sirius had been sending letters daily, talking about how more witches and wizards were disappearing every day. And what was worse was that the Ministry of Magic was covering up on all the missing wizards reports. Sirius wrote that this was exactly how it had all started when Voldemort had first come into power. That helped no one's calm.

And speaking of Voldemort, Anya had noticed that it seemed that Harry had been having more nightmares than usual about the dark wizard. Once, he had fallen asleep in Divination class, only to wake up a few minutes later, sprawled out on the ground in a cold sweat. Three days after that, a _new_ article by Rita Skeeter came out, this one giving a very detailed description of what had happened in said classroom that day.

"That bitch is really getting on my nerves," Anya huffed as she and Draco walked along the path towards Hogsmeade village one warm Saturday morning. "And how does she keep finding these things out?" Anya turned to give her boyfriend a look.

"Uh-uh! No way. I know what would happen if I ever did go talking with that woman," Draco replied the silent accusation she was sending his way. He gently took her hand in his, entwining their fingers together. "Besides, what does it matter? People don't really believe what she says. They just like a good story."

"Tell that to Hermione," Anya shot back as they stepped into the Three Broomsticks. "She's still getting hate mail every few days. One person sent her a dead rat!" She shivered at the image that was burned in her brain: a rat covered in blood with the insides pouring from its stomach, flies buzzing around the carcass. "Too gross," she groaned.

"You'll figure something out. You always do," Draco reassured her with a smile. Anya couldn't help but return it, her grin turning into a full-blown smile when he pulled her seat out for her and tucked it back in once she sat down. He seemed pleased for his smile was equally as wide as he sat down beside her.

"What can I get you?" a bored voice sounded from Anya's other side. She looked over her shoulder to see a guy around his late teens- maybe even his early twenties- standing there with a leather apron around his waist and a notepad in his hands. His shaggy, dirty blonde hair fell just past chin length and he looked as if he would rather clean a dragon's den than do this job. When his brown eyes looked up from the notepad to them, and it was obvious that he was checking her out. Insecure about the look he was giving her, Anya shifted around in her seat while tugging down on the hem of her knee length black skirt.

"Two butterbeers," Draco growled at the other wizard. It was obvious that he didn't like how this guy was staring at his girlfriend.

The waiter looked away from Anya to see the scowl on the Malfoy heir's face. Anya could have sworn that he looked... _smug_ about something, as if he knew something that they didn't. He said nothing to the younger blonde as he wrote the order down. And just as he was about to walk away to get the drink, he turned to Anya and sent a wink at her.

"What the hell was that about?" Draco wondered out loud, glaring after the wizard.

"I don't know," Anya answered, looking on in shock at how forward the older guy was. Was he that dumb to realize she had a boyfriend? Anya turned back to said boyfriend and she could see that famous Malfoy fury she had seen many times in the past coming to the surface, and she knew that if she didn't do something fast, things could get really messy.

So she grabbed his hand that was resting on the table and stroked her thumb along his knuckles, knowing that was one of the ways to calm him down whenever he was riled up. "Don't pay any attention to him. He's not worth getting all fired up about," she told him. She then leaned closer and pressed a kiss to his lips. It seemed to work seeing as Draco's tense frame relaxed.

,:~:,

Before long, the day of the last task was here and everyone was anxious. Some of the students of Hogwarts had painted their faces with the colors of the champion they were supporting, buying noise makers and flags and any other item to use for cheering. All the Durmstrang boys were wearing their uniforms of brown, shouting 'Krum! Krum! Krum!' The girls from Beauxbatons were cheering in French, and Draco had no idea what they were saying, seeing as French was one of the languages he never learnt properly.

"Hey Malfoy! Who are you cheering for?" Crabbe asked, the name 'Krum' painted backwards on his forehead.

Draco rolled his eyes at the stupid lug, tugging his jacket back in place. "What does it matter who I'm rooting for?" he scoffed, acting as though he didn't really care about the event. But secretly, he had placed a bet with the Weasley twins that Potter would be the one to win today's final task. He'd never admit it, but he didn't despise the Boy-Who-Lived as much as he let people think he did. Sure, they had their differences, but he figured that one day they'd eventually set them aside. After all, Draco's girlfriend was best friends with the bloke.

"Excuse me! Sorry! Coming through!" Draco looked up with a smile to see his favorite girl scooting along the bench to where he was sitting, plopping down in the seat he had saved for her. "Finally!" Anya sighed with exhaustion. "Hey guys!" she greeted Crabbe and Goyle out of curtousy before she leaned into Draco's side and pressed a kiss against his cheek. "Hey you," she whispered.

"Hey yourself," Draco grinned back, wrapping his arm around her shoulders to bring her closer to his side. "I was wondering where you were. What happened?"

"Oh, I snuck into the tent to wish Harry and the other champions good luck," Anya replied. She then reached across Draco and grabbed a handful of popcorn from the bag in Crabbe's hand.

"Hey!" Crabbe growled but when he saw the look in Draco's eyes, daring him to finish that sentence, he kept quiet. Anya remained unaware as she tossed piece after piece into the air and caught each one in her mouth.

Eventually, the big band in the row next to them began playing and all four champions made their way into the stadium. "Whoo! Go Harry! Go Cedric! Make Hogwarts proud, you guys!" Anya cheered with the rest of the audience. Draco saw how happy she seemed to be, and how proud she was of her friends making it so far in the Tournament. He saw both Hogwarts students look in their direction and give the American witch a smile and wave. "They look great- real champions," Anya commented.

"Yeah," Draco agreed. Both boys did seem to have that sort of proud look to them. They deserved to win.

At the first sound of the cannon, Harry and Cedric were the first to enter the large maze of greenery, shortly followed by Fleur at the second cannon and finally Krum at the third. The crowd watched as the four entrances into the hedges closed behind each champion. And then, everything was quiet.

"And now we wait," Anya sighed, her hand clenching at the lightning bolt pendant around her neck.

It was half an hour later when the first set of sparks exploded in the air over the maze, signalling that one of the champions was in too much trouble for them to handle. A few professors flew over the maze to where the red flash hovered over and swooped down, coming back up moments later with a figure laying on the stretchers secured between their brooms. Draco felt Anya tense up beside him when the figures got closer, only to relax ever so slightly once they landed and she could see that it was Fleur. A quick check-up from the school's matron told the crowd that she was a little dazed, but would be fine.

The next one was another half hour after that. The second set of sparks came from deeper within the maze and when the professors returned, it was Viktor Krum's unconcious form on the stretcher. Madame Pomfrey checked on him, but he was quickly rushed off to the champion's tent for further examination. With their seats being in the front row, Draco was able to hear the healer tell Dumbledore something about how the Quidditch player had been cursed with an Unforgivable.

There was no third set of sparks after that. In fact, nothing happened until what seemed like hours later. A quick flash of bright blue suddenly appeared in the center of the stadium, and the last two champions fell sprawled out on the grass, Potter clutching the Triwizard Cup in one hand and a fistful of Cedric's shirt in the other.

But why weren't they getting up? Hadn't they both won the glory for Hogwarts? And why did Potter look as though someone had just died?

A shrill scream from Beauxbaton's champion was like a suckerpunch to the gut. As the cheering of the crowd died down, people realized that someone _had_ died... and that someone was Cedric Diggory.

,:~:,

"I can't believe it," Anya said once again. The school had just finished having a small wake in Cedric's memory and it still felt like a bad dream. Anya was just too stunned to think that he was really gone. Hell, she had only just been talking with him last week about the future!

_Flashback_

_ "Can you believe that the year's almost over already?" Cedric asked from his seat beside Anya. They were upstairs in the library, working on review homework. Cedric had offered to help Anya work on her transfiguration assignment and she eagerly accepted it. The textbook, which she kept transfiguring a mouse into, always had something wrong with it- one time, its head stayed the same and the rest of its body became a book._

_ "Yeah," Anya sighed. "Pretty crazy year, huh?"_

_ "I'll say." Anya looked to the Huflepuff and saw that he seemed sort of nervous. Then she remembered that not only did he have the Tournament to worry about through the year, but this was his final year at Hogwarts. In a few weeks, he was going off into the big world. He was a legal adult in the wizarding world. It was time for him to start thinking of his future, and Anya could only imagine how all the stress of that plus the Tournament was getting to him. "So what are your plans for when you graduate?" she asked, hoping to get him to relax somewhat._

_ It did the trick. Cedric began to talk about how his grades had been so good this past year that he'd been accepted to three major magical universities, and even had earned a summer internship to his desired career- magical law at the Minsitry of Magic. He talked about how he and Cho Chang, his girlfriend for the past three years, had discussed about moving in together once Cho graduated from Hogwarts._

_ "She's everything to me," Cedric sighed happily as he talked about Cho. "I'm even planning on proposing."_

_End flashback_

And now, Cedric was gone. A brillant, young wizard was gone from this world, and with him, so were some wonderful dreams. In one fell swoop, so many lives were destroyed. Anya could only imagine how hard Cho was taking his death along with the Diggorys.

And even worse was what else had happened that night. As told by Harry, he and Cedric had been transported to some graveyard somewhere- the same graveyard Harry had dreamt of for the past several months. And it was there where Cedric had been killed by none other than the newly-reborn Voldemort. The darkest wizard of all time had returned, and with him, more dangers than any could imagine.

A sudden knock on the door had Anya looking up from her dufflebag to see Hermione standing in the doorway. "The feast is about to start," the brunette stated. "You coming?"

"I'll be down in a minute," Anya replied as she stood up and closed the packed bag. Once she gathered the rest of her things and stuffed them away in her trunk, she went downstairs to the Great Hall for the end of year feast.

The meal was quiet, as much as the whole of the school grounds had been for the last two days. Other than the odd murmer here and there, the noise level barely even reached to a buzz.

The next morning, the students of Durmstrang and Beauxbatons were the first to leave the castle, preparing for their long journeys home before they went off to colleges and universities and whatnot. Addresses were exchanged to keep in touch, promises to keep in contact were made, and tears were wept over heartfelt goodbyes.

Anya walked along the courtyard, smiling when she saw how close some of the students from the three schools had become. Anya knew that these friendships were going to be needed desperately in the near future. With Voldemort's return, it wouldn't be long until things became bad- maybe even deadly- and should there be another war as there had been during his first reign of power, every wand would be needed.

As she walked along, Anya spotted Harry at the other end of the corridor leading into the castle. Squeezing through the crowds, she came up behind him, just as Ron came jumping over the railing and as Hermione swung around the pillar. The four friends chuckled lightly and Anya messed Harry's already shaggy hair before jumping up on the railing beside Ron, swinging around the mini pillars that ran along the length as they walked.

"Do you ever suppose we'll have a quiet year at Hogwarts?" she heard the redhead ask out loud. The other three just scoffed and let out a great big 'no!' in unison, causing him to chuckle again. "Well, what's life without a few dragons?" he teased.

"Completely... and absolutely utterly..." Anya mocked in a British accent before hopping back down. "Boring," she finished in her normal accent. She looked back over her shoulder to see the other female of their group seemed to be lost in her own thoughts. "You ok there, Hermione?" she asked, noticing the way the brunette's smile seemed forced.

"Everything's going to change now, isn't it?" Hermione asked.

Harry just walked back to the brunette, placed his hand on her shoulder, and nodded. "Yes."

"Anya!" The American witch looked back to where the voice had been calling from and she could make out the head of platnium blonde hair through the crowd. She took two steps towards him before she stopped and looked back at her friends.

"Go on," Harry insisted, and the other two nodded in agreement.

Anya smiled at them all and gave them a massive hug before darting back through the crowd to where she had seen her boyfriend. As soon as she was close enough, she jumped into his awaiting arms. The past few days had been too difficult with Cedric's death and Anya had spent most of her time alone because of how deeply it had affected her. Now, she just wanted Draco to take her away from all of it, even if for only a moment.

"Hey you," he whispered as he pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"Hey yourself," Anya whispered back, inhaling his familiar scent of cologne and hair gel. When she pulled back to look at him, he quickly swooped down and kissed her. "Wow... that was one hell of a kiss," she breathed once they seperated. "Mind telling me what I did to deserve it so I can do it again?"

"I just wanted to see my beautiful girlfriend before we leave for summer break," Draco said with a smile. "You know I'm going to miss you, right?"

"About as much as I'm going to miss you," Anya replied. She then noticed the mischevious grin on his face. "What?"

"I've got something special for you," Draco said as he took something out of his jacket pocket. It was a small glass jar, and inside was a tiny black beetle.

"Wow...um... thank you?" It came out as more of a question. Anya took the jar. "Well... not many girls can say that their boyfriend gave them a bug."

"Actually, it's not just any bug," Draco explained. He took Anya's hand in his and had her hold the jar up higher into the light. "See the little marks around the eyes? Look familiar?"

Anya stared hard at the bug's beady little eyes. "You know, they kind of do look familiar..." She groaned in frustration. "God! It's on the tip of my tongue!"

"How about if I told you that those marks look an awful lot like a certain witch's glasses? A witch with ridiculous blonde hair and who likes to write stories on false facts?" Draco offered as an answer. "A witch who has this beetle form as an unregistered animagus?"

Anya's brow furrowed as she thought before she figured out exactly what Draco was talking about. When it dawned on her, the frown turned into a smirk as she looked at the jar with a new appreciation. "Oh Draco," she said in a dramatic/romantic sigh, "You shouldn't have." She began to violently shake the jar around, causing the beetle/trashy reporter to be tossed around and slam against the glass walls of her prison.

"I thought you'd like it," Draco smirked back.

Anya stopped shaking the jar and watched as the beetle fell onto its back, unable to roll over on its shell so it could stand properly once more. "So what should I do with her?" she asked. Rita Skeeter had caused enough trouble for her friends for one lifetime. And now she knew how the witch kept finding out about their personal conversations- she spied on them right in front of their very eyes.

"Like I said, she's an unregistered animagus," Draco repeated. "And last time I checked, if it isn't properly registered with the Ministry, it's considered as-"

"Illegal," Anya finished, the perfect plan already forming in her mind. She was going to let Hermione come up with the proper punishment. If the reporter didn't follow through, then they would go to the Ministry about Skeeter's practise. She wrapped her arms around Draco's neck and kissed him. "You know you're the best, right?"

"Of course I am," Draco teased, giving her another kiss. "I'll write you every day," he promised.

"Ditto," Anya replied. And with that, the two parted to say goodbye to their friends before the trip home.

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><p><em><strong>AC: Ha ha! Take that, Skeeter! And that! *shakes jar mercilessly*<strong>_

_**MMM: Ummm... Anya?  
><strong>_

_**AC: What? *keeps shaking*  
><strong>_

_**MMM: You should probably stop that. Why don't you hand the jar over to me?  
><strong>_

_**AC: No! *runs off*  
><strong>_

_**MMM: *sighs* Well, see you next time!  
><strong>_

_**Nancy (aka megamatchmaker)  
><strong>_


	52. Year 5 Ch1

**_MMM: Well, I've got another chapter ready. Sorry it took so long. And I'm sorry to say this, but the next one may take even longer! I'm sorry! But I've got a bunch of major exams coming up and I need to put all my focus in them! I'm sorry, you guys. I know you've been really patient and I appreciate that, but I need you to be a little more patient now._****  
><strong>

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><p><strong>Ch. 52 Waiting<strong>

Anya sat up in her usual tree in the backyard, her music notebook balanced on her lap and a purple pen in hand. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't think of anything... nothing but sorrow and pain and fear.

The death of Cedric Diggory had caused quite the uproar in the magical world. For weeks, all one could read about in the _Daily Prophet_ were reports about how he had been killed, discussions on the radio channels with his friends and loved ones, and other things such as that.

Soon after that, people began to disappear. Reports of witches and wizards of all kinds were made of the missing people. Some were found dead, others alive but with their minds completely shredded by torturing. And some just weren't found, period.

And no matter how many times Professor Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and one of the most intelligent wizards that there has ever been, insisted, the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, refused to believe that the one responsible for these disapperances and deaths was the most dangerous wizard of all time...

Voldemort, the wizard back from the dead.

Not that Anya could really blame Fudge for wanting to deny it. After all, the last time Voldemort came into power, the wizarding world nearly went to pieces. Lives had been destroyed left, right, and center, all in his fight to gain control and wipe the world of any and all muggles and any muggleborn witches and wizards.

That had been fourteen years ago. Voldemort had nearly succeeded in his plans, and he would have won, if it hadn't of been for one little boy- Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived and Anya's closest friend.

But Voldemort had returned, though no one would actually believe it. None but Harry, who had seen the resurrection with his own eyes, his friends and those few other witches and wizards.

"Anya!" Anya looked down to see one of said friends, Ron Weasley, standing at the base of the tree. "Mum said the meeting's over and that it's time for dinner."

"I'll be right there," Anya reassured him. She then jumped down from the branch she sat on and followed him into Number 12, Grimmauld Place.

Number 12 of Grimmauld Place was a very grimy house, magically hidden from the muggle world between Numbers 11 and 13. The structure of the inside made Anya think that it could have been literally squeezed in between the other two houses with its overlapping ceilings, odd angle walls, and narrow hallways.

It was here that Anya had been since the middle of summer break. Though it could a lot of convincing on her parents' part, and as her other friend, Hermione Granger, had to with her own parents, she was finally able to explain to them why it was so important for her to stay there in London- The Order of the Phoenix.

The Order of the Phoenix was a speical group founded by Albus Dumbledore back in the days of Voldemort's first rise to power, consisting of any and all in the wizarding world who wished to stand up for a world meant for everyone, muggle and wizard alike, not just pureblood families as Voldemort intended to change it to. When the news that the dark wizard had returned, those that were still alive were quick to gather together and begin to try and get others to follow. Not that Fudge's influence on the media had helped them any.

The two teens walked into the dining room/kitchen to see Ron's mother and his sister Ginny going back and forth between the two areas, bringing plates of Mrs. Weasley's fabulous cooking with them as they went while Hermione finished setting the places. Fred and George, Ron's older twin brothers, were as usual, up to their old tricks of planning pranks and now, being of legal wizarding age, using magic as often as they wanted. Mr. Weasley was sitting at the table with the _Daily Prophet _in hand and shaking his head at what he read. Anya could only imagine how Mr. Weasley was taking all of this. His third oldest son, Percy, had spent the last year working for the Minister of Magic and apparently took his side over that of his own family.

"Collins, would you kindly keep to one side of the room?" a gruff voice said from behind Anya and she looked over her shoulder to see the real Mad-Eye Moody behind her. Even though she knew that this man wasn't the imposter who had infiltrated Hogwarts and nearly got Harry killed last year, it didn't change the fact that Anya thought he was a creepy man. His attitude was just as bad as the fake Moody's had been. "Bloody hallway's already small enough as it is," he growled, his bright blue eye rotating around in its socket.

"Sorry sir," Anya mumbled as she pressed as close to the wall as she could to let him pass. Moody let out another growl before limping into the room for dinner.

"Don't mind him, Anya." She looked back again to see another ex-Dark Arts teacher of Hogwarts, Remus Lupin. The wizard/werewolf looked even more tired than usual, not that any of the Order had gotten much sleep as of late. "It's just that all these events are taking a toll on him," he said with a sigh. "It's not your fault."

"It's understandable, Professor," Anya replied automatically.

Remus laughed. "Why do you keep calling me that? You know I'm not your teacher anymore, and I have told you to call me Remus."

Anya blushed. "Force of habit." He just gace he another smiling before squeezing his way into the kitchen to help. Anya sighed before she looked around at those members that either were staying or getting ready to leave.

Kingsley Shacklebolt, an Auror who worked within the Ministry of Magic. The oldest sons of the Weasley family, Bill and Charlie. Nymphadora Tonks, a sassy but clumsy Metamorphmagus and recently qualified Auror. Professor McGonagall, head of Gryffindor house at Hogwarts and master of Transfiguration. Mundungus Fletcher, as unreliable as they come, but handy to have around crook. Rubeus Hagrid, the half-giant keeper and Care of Magical Creatures teacher at Hogwarts. Severus Snape, the potions master of Hogwarts and head of Slytherin house and double-agent for the Order in Voldemort's circle. Sirius Black, fasley-convicted of murder, escapee of Azkaban prison, and owner of Number 12, Grimmauld Place. And of course, the man who founded the Order- Albus Dumbledore himself. There were a few others, but Anya didn't remember their names properly for they hardly stayed. She was particularlly grateful that Snape never stayed longer than he had to.

"Yeh alright there, Anya?" Anya looked up to see Hagrid's massive frame towering over her. How he was able to fit into the tiny house, she wasn't sure.

"I'm fine, Hagrid," she reassured him with a smile. "I'm just going to go bring this in my room," she said, holding up her book. With a quick hug, she headed up the stairs to the room she shared with Ginny and Hermione. She carefully tip-toed past the covered portrait of Sirius' mother, which was always rudely talking about how her house was being corrupted by 'filthy Mudbloods and Blood-Traitors'. The last thing she needed was for that stupid painting to wake up and start screaming at her. On the way back downstairs, she wasn't as fortunate as to not run into anyone.

Kreacher, a very aged house-elf who had served the House of Black for many generations, was standing on one of the landings.

Being a house-elf, Kreacher had been very faithfully loyal to the pureblood Black family. He shared in the same beliefs as Mrs. Black had believed in, even as far as to stay and 'take care' of the house when she died, though the only thing he took care of was that painting. When Mrs. Weasley first came to Grimmauld Place and started cleaning it properly, throwing away any dark magic items that filled the house, the house-elf went into a frenzy, insisting that no one touch his mistress' possessions. Even now, he would still try to save a few things every day by sneaking them out of the trash bags.

"Filthy little Mudblood brat," the creature snarled at her as soon as his sharp, cold eyes spotted her standing there. "Thinks she can walk the halls of the House of Black freely. If Kreacher's mistress were still alive, Mistress would have Mudblood girl begging for death, and Kreacher would watch gleefully." His smile was as cold as his words, chilling Anya to the very core. But Anya wasn't going to let him know that.

Instead, she just scoffed at the house-elf. "Don't you have some piece of garbage to take care of?"

"Kreacher doesn't take orders from someone with filthy blood," he replied. "Filth breeds filth."

Anya saw red. It was bad enough that he insulted her. Now he was insulting her parents? "Go to hell!" she shot back. She then nodded back up the steps to where Mrs. Black's portrait hung. "Isn't it about time for the bitch's daily polish?"

The sound of a cracking whip errupted when Kreacher snapped his fingers at Anya, and the next thing she knew, she was flying off her feet and slamming into the wall behind her. "Mudblood should die for speaking of Kreacher's mistress that way!" he shouted at her.

"Kreacher!" Sirius' voice rang out and the house-elf stopped what Anya was sure was going to be a nasty hex. "That's enough! You will not hurt that girl. Is that understood?"

Kreacher looked ready to kill Anya, but he could not go against his master's order. "Yes, Master Sirius," he growled under his breath before slowly dropping his hand and making his way up the stairs to his beloved mistress.

"You alright?" Sirius asked Anya as he helped her stand up again. Since he had returned to his old home, Sirius was looking a lot better: his hair wasn't a greasy, his eyes less sunken in, skin and teeth properly cleaned, and his new clothes fit better thanks to Mrs. Weasley's cooking. "You've got a bit of blood there, Anya."

Sure enough, when Anya's hand touched at the her hairline, she felt something wet and sticky, and when she brought it back, her fingers were lightly stained in red. "Damn," she muttered.

"Here." Sirius held out a white hankerchief for her and she took it to place against her head. "You shouldn't rile him up like that. House-elves are unpredictable and they get very dangerous when mad," he told her as they continued down to the kitchen.

"I know," Anya sighed. "But the little bastard was insulting my parents. He called them 'filth'! What was I suppose to do? Take it lying down?"

Sirius shook his head. "Absolutely not. But you do need to be careful. Like I said- a house-elf can be very unpredictable when angry."

"You should see me up against a girl back home," she told him. "You think Kreacher's bad? You haven't _seen_ 'angry' until you've seen me tear into Heller." Anya could remember the last time she had dealt with the blonde American bitch.

_Flashback_

_ "Hey Collins!" Anya rolled her eyes and gritted her teeth at the annoying voice that came out of Lucy Heller's mouth. How any guy could ever think that _thing_ was attractive was beyond her. Then again, the fact that she was the daughter of a wealthy man, who had married six different supermodels in half as many years, made it a little more believable. They cared more about getting on Mr. Heller's good side so they could try and get their hands on the family fortune._

_ "Heller," Anya acknowledged the blonde without looking at her. Instead, she continued to flip through the magazine in front of her and took a sip from her cherry coke._

_ A pale hand slammed down on the pages, effectively stopping Anya from continuing what she was doing. With a sigh, she turned to look at the person connected to said hand. "Can I help you?" she asked in a bored tone._

_ "Yeah," Lucy smirked. "You can tell me where I can find that dreamy guy I met last summer- Draco."_

_ At the mention of her boyfriend's name, Anya felt her blood boil a little bit higher with anger, much like it usually did when it came to Lucy Heller butting in on her life. But instead of letting it show, she gave a shrug. "Couldn't really tell you," she replied, pinching one of Lucy's fingers between her index and thumb and pulled it off her magazine._

_ "Yeah right," Lucy scoffed as she crossed her arms. "I heard those loser friends of yours talking about how you went to his place last summer. You know exactly where he lives and you're going to tell me."_

_ "Oh really?" Anya scoffed back, leaning back in her seat and crossing her arms. Her hand itched to punch the other girl when she called her friends 'losers', but she kept calm. 'I'm out of here in a few days, I'm out of here in a few days...' kept repeating in her mind. "And why would I do something like that?" she smirked._

_ Lucy's scowl grew even bigger and she slammed both hands down on the polished table surface. "Listen to me and listen to me good, Collins. Draco is mine, and I'll be damned before I let some pathetic piece of street trash like you get in my way."_

_ The next thing Lucy knew, her head was flying backwards as a fist connected with her face. The distinct crack of breaking bone could be heard throughout the diner and all eyes turned to see as the rich blonde girl fell back on her ass. She clutched at her nose, feeling the sticky red blood slowly dripping through her fingers. When she looked up, all the color in her orange-tanned face drained away when she saw the murderous glare in Anya's violet eyes._

_ "Now _you_ listen to _me_, Heller!" Anya's voice held so much fury that people in the nearby booths held their breath in fear. "You better get your head out of your ass and stop deluding yourself with these fantisies you've cooked up under those bleach-blonde locks! Draco is _my_ boyfriend, and you better get that straight or else you'll need your Daddy's money for some damn good plastic surgeons once I've rearranged your face!" She then grabbed a handful of Lucy's long hair and literally dragged her over to the front of the diner, tugged her up onto her feet, and shoved her towards the door._

_ "Aren't you going to do something about this?!" Lucy demanded from Max Baxley, the owner. "You can't let her get away with this!"_

_ "Get away with what?" Max smirked as he wiped at imaginary marks on the counter. It was about time that someone put that girl in her place. Out of all his clients, Lucy Heller was the worse. If things weren't made exactly how she wanted them, she'd start a temper tantrum, and refuse to pay, even if what he had brought her was what she ordered._

_ "UGH!" Lucy shouted. She rounded onto Anya and pointed a long, overly-manicured nail at the auburn haired girl. "You are so going to regret this, Collins!"_

_ "Bring it on, bitch," Anya smirked, motioning for her to do just that._

_ "When my dad goes to the police, you'll be lucky if you get away with being charged only with assault!" Lucy threatened._

_ "And where's you're proof?" Max demanded from behind the counter. "That broken nose? You could have just tripped and fell on your face or smacked into a wall. And there aren't any survaillance cameras in this place, so you won't get any help from me."_

_ Lucy looked around, silently demanding that someone say that they would testify against Collins. But all she received was a glare from each occupant in the room and she realized that she was on her own. The demanding look turned into a pleading one. Collins couldn't get away with this! She was the girl who ruled the school, not Collins! But it looked like Lucy's reign of power was coming to an end._

_ So with a broken nose and a lost power over her fellow teens, Lucy limped out of the diner, the many cheers and congratulations to Anya for taking down the 'bitch of the west' ringing in her ears as she went._

_End Flashback_

Sirius shivered once Anya finished telling her tale, surprised at what kind of attitude this fifteen-year-old possessed. She would have made a great Marauder had she had been at Hogwarts when he was there. Instead, he just repeated for her to be careful and led them into the kitchen for dinner.

* * *

><p><em><strong>MMM: See you next time!<strong>_

_**Nancy (aka megamatchmaker)  
><strong>_


	53. Year 5 Ch2

**_MMM: Well, here I am you guys, with a new chapter ready for you. I've been typing all day. Yesterday, I tripped on this stupid crack- which I call a pothole- in the sidewalk in front of my school and twisted my ankle. And after having it immobile through the night, the muscles stiffened up and now I can't even walk on it without feeling pain. Talk about a great way to spend the holidays, huh? And just before my big 20th b-day too. :( So not cool._  
><strong>

**_Anyway, let's just start the chapter, huh? Try and take my mind off it? Please?  
><em>**

**_AC: I know the same problem. Remember back in my 1st year? Devil's Snare ring a bell?  
><em>**

**_MMM: Yes, but you had magic to heal it within the same night you got hurt. I have to let it heal on its own.  
><em>**

**_AC: Yikes.  
><em>**

**_Disclaimer: Too tired and too sore to say it. But you know what it is._**

* * *

><p><strong>Ch. 53 To Hogwarts, We Go<strong>

Anya was busy helping Mrs. Weasley take care of peeling potatoes for dinner. Hell, she would have been ready to sort trash. Well... _almost_. Really, it was just something to do to take her mind off things.

Tonight, Moody and a couple of the other Aurors had gone to Privet Drive to get Harry and bring him back.

As it turned out, Harry had performed underage magic in front of a muggle earlier that very same day. Although the adults hadn't wanted them to know the details, Anya and the others found out thanks to the extendable ears- a magical string device with an ear on each end that could let them listen in even from upstairs on the fifth floor of the house, created by Fred and George with the money Harry had won from the Triwizard Tournament last year and gave to them- that the young wizard had been attacked by dementors. And even though he had no choice but to use magic to defend himself, the Ministry didn't believe that he was attacked and so they planned to expel Harry from Hogwarts.

Luckily for Harry, Shacklebolt was able to convince the Minister to have a hearing before a sentence could be passed.

"Is everything alright, dear?" Mrs. Weasley asked the younger witch.

"I'm fine," Anya replied with smile.

Truth be told, Anya wasn't all that 'fine' as she said she was. She missed her family and friends back home in the States. Because Number 12 Grimmauld Place was pretty much a safe house for the Order to meet, it was mandatory that no one sent letters out in case Death Eaters were to try and find them. And with that, Anya hadn't been able to keep in touch with anyone back home. She lost count of the times she went to send one to her parents, just to find out if they were alright at the least, but she would always find herself ripping the letter apart and throwing the pieces into the fire. She didn't even get to celebrate her birthday with them, the first time ever in her life. They had always spent it together- it was tradition.

And the other thing that she hated about this whole thing. During the entire summer, Anya hadn't been able to make any kind of contact with her boyfriend, Draco Malfoy. A lot of times, Anya would find herself wondering just how they wound up together. They were always so different: a Slytherin boy from one of the wealthiest pureblood families in the wizarding world, and the Gryffindor girl from a simple muggle family.

That fact was the reason no one in the Order would allow Anya to keep in touch with him over the summer, because of his family. According to most of them, the Malfoy family had been very dedicated followers of Voldemort, and they would have bet every Galleon they owned that the family was back to being the Dark Lord's lapdogs.

A clatter from the hallway sounded, snapping Anya from her personal thoughts. "They're back," Sirius commented from his spot at the table, flipping through the Daily Prophet. Only Tonks could keep being clumsy in this house.

Setting down the potato peeler, Anya wiped her hands on a towel before rushing into the hall. Sure enough, standing at the other end was the small group of Aurors with their cargo. "Harry!"

"Anya!" Harry beamed, rushing forwards to hug the auburn haired girl. "It's great to see you," he told her.

"Likewise," Anya replied before pulling away. "And I do mean that literally. If you kept growing that hair out any more, you would have changed your name to 'Cousin It'." She reached up and ruffled his hair, now cut so short, he might as well have just shaved it off. But it looked good. One of his better looks.

"Very funny," Harry laughed.

Anya perked up. "Oh! Harry, you've _got_ to meet someone here!" she giggled, grabbing him by the sleeve and dragging him into the room she was just in. _'Time for a little reunion,'_ she thought.

,:~:,

Meanwhile, in a giant mansion in the countryside of Wiltshire, a certain young wizard was getting anxious with each passing day.

Draco Malfoy was never one to lose his cool, but right now, one would have thought otherwise. He was pacing back and forth in front of his bedroom window, waiting for his pet owl to return while he nervously fiddled with the pendant around his neck.

It had been two months since he had last talked with his girlfriend, Anya Collins. He had kept his promise, sending letters every day. But every time his owl came back, there was no reply. At first, he thought that maybe she was just busy catching up with her muggle friends and her family. But when it got closer to the end of June and she still hadn't replied, he started to worry.

Had something happened to her? He had read about a lot of disappearances around the world. Had she vanished? Or was she avoiding him? Had he done something wrong? He didn't remember writing anything upsetting in his letters. His stomach churned. Was it possible that she was seeing- No. Anya would never do something like that. She would never cheat.

A light knock on the door brought Draco back to reality. "Come in," he called to the person on the other side of the door. "Good afternoon, mother," he greeted her once she walked in.

"Is everything alright, Draco?" Narcissa asked, walking over to stand beside her son. She saw him tuck something under the collar of his shirt before he sat down in an armchair by the fireplace. "Anything I can do?" she offered.

"No," Draco sighed miserably. The only thing that could make him feel any better was to see Anya's smiling face, but that wouldn't happen for another two weeks.

Suddenly, Draco's pet owl swooped into the room, landing on the solid gold rod set into the wall where it slept. Not wasting a second, Draco shot up and rushed over to see that the owl, once again, had nothing for him. Narcissa saw her son's shoulders droop.

"Draco, darling," Narcissa began, walking back to the door. "Would you like to have Pinky send some food up?" Draco just shook his head. "Perhaps some tea then?" Again, the young wizard shook his head. "Alright then. I'll leave you to your thoughts." And with that, she gently closed the door behind him. With another miserable sigh, Draco flopped down onto his bed.

These next few weeks were going to be hell.

,:~:,

So the next few weeks before school were actually rather pleasant for Anya. Sure, she still couldn't keep in touch with anyone from back at home, but at least the Golden Quartet was together again.

Of course, that good feeling was gone within seconds when they got to King's Cross station on the first of September. Almost every older witch or wizard they passed by gave Harry a glare that could freeze hell in a second. If Remus hadn't have been one of the members of the Order that had been there to escort the Harry and the others to the Hogwarts Express, Anya would have hexed some snob of a witch that muttered 'little bastard' at her friend as they passed by. As it was, it took Remus all of his ability to hold the American witch back.

As Anya descended the stairs, she noticed the familiar black dog that scurried down the steps ahead of her, followed closely by Harry. Taking the stairs two at a time, she hurried after them to see Sirius slip into a deserted sitting room and turn back into his human form. Figuring that he and Harry needed a moment alone, Anya leaned against the frosted glass window and crossed her arms.

"We're wasting time," Moody growled and Anya silently rolled her eyes. The man clearly needed to get a life... or at least get laid. She couldn't help but snicker at her private joke.

After goodbyes were exchanged and promises to visit during Christmas break were made, the Golden Quartet along with the rest of the Weasley children boarded the train. As they did, Anya was almost knocked down by a short blur of black and green.

"Hey Vi!" Anya wheezed as the air was knocked right out of her. "Long time no see."

"Well, what do you expect?" Vi shot back as she pulled away, hands on her hips and a glare on her face. "You disappear hardly a week into summer break- no calls, no letters! It was like you just vanished or something. Your parents didn't tell me anything."

Anya knew that her friend was going to cause one hell of a scene if she kept shouting. The last thing she needed was for people to get suspicious and possibly find out she'd spent her entire summer with the Order of the Phoenix, so she needed to come up with a distraction fast. "Is that a new shirt?" she asked, eyeing the emerald green top the Irish girl was wearing.

It worked. The angry look on Vi's face quickly vanished and stroke a pose. "You like it?" she grinned as she twirled, showing off a back that had bow-styled cutouts running along the length of the back. "Just got it last week."

The train ride to Hogwarts had never seemed so long. Any time a fellow student would pass by their compartment, Anya would see them glaring in Harry's direction. She would have figured that at least some people wouldn't believe in the garbage that the Daily Prophet was writing about her friend, but it looked like convincing people would be a lot harder than that. Not that she could really blame them, after all. Who would want to believe that a dangerous dark wizard was somewhere out there, ready to attack at any given moment?

But eventually, the train finally arrived at the station on Hogsmeade village. Anya was a little worried when Harry said he saw some kind of creature pulling the carriages, but there was nothing there. But she couldn't help but laugh when Luna Lovegood, a Ravenclaw student who seemed to be permanently stuck between reality and fantasy, told him that she could see the creatures too and that Harry was just as sane as she was. It seemed a little funny to hear that from a girl who always wore radish earrings and a necklace made of bottle corks.

Once they had all returned to the Great Hall in their proper uniforms and the new students were sorted into their houses, Professor Dumbledore began his announcements.

"She was at my hearing," Harry whispered to Anya as the Headmaster welcomed a toad-like plump witch dressed completely in pink, from the odd hat made out of tiny plastic pink bows right down to the high heeled shoes on her feet.

"Dolores Umbridge. I heard that she's the Senior Undersecretary to Cornelius Fudge," Hermione whispered back.

"She's sure got the 'senior' part down," Anya joked under her breath.

What really surprised everyone was when 'Professor' Umbridge stood up, causing Professor Dumbledore to stop in the middle of his speech, and began with one of her own. Anya could hardly believe what she was hearing! The way how this woman was describing how the school 'should' be run sounded like a military school.

After dinner, everyone went off to do their own thing. Hermione was already going to get a head start on the upcoming work that they would have, Vi was going to go write _another_ letter to her boyfriend, Ivan, and Harry and Ron would probably just talk about Quidditch. As much as Anya loved her friends, she had to admit that they were a little… predictable.

Anya let out a sigh as she slumped further back into the couch, running her fingers through her auburn hair in frustration. As she had predicted, practically every other student in Gryffindor house had isolated Harry and sent him glares the moment the four friends walked through the portrait hole. Anya could only imagine how long _this_ would last. But she knew that it would only stop when people- and more importantly, that idiot of a wizard for a Minister- realized that Voldemort was back, and although she didn't want to see her friend be called a liar anymore, Anya didn't think the alternative was any better.

"Hey Anya" The American witch opened her eyes to see the familiar younger face of Colin Creevey, along with his little brother Dennis, standing there before her. When she glanced at the younger boy's face, she noticed that his cheeks grew pink.

"Hi guys. How was your summer?" Anya asked in polite conversation. Out of everyone in the school, she liked these boys the most, for they were the only ones who continued to put their trust and loyalty in Harry even when no one else did.

"It was alright," Colin replied. "Sorry we can't stay long to talk, but we need to get an owl back to Mum and Dad- Dennis forgot some of his books again. We were asked if we could deliver this to you." He held out a small envelope.

"Thanks."

"Well, see you later then! Bye! Dennis, say 'goodbye'," Colin whispered to his brother.

"Bye," Dennis mumbled, cheeks now matching the red of Gryffindor's colors, before he hurried off.

Anya shook her head. _'It would seem that the younger Creevey__ boy is possibly developing his first crush,'_ she thought before she opened the letter.

_Anya, can you meet me in our usual place? 7 o'clock?_

_Draco_

Glancing down at her watch, Anya saw that she only had five minutes to get to the Astronomy tower located at the other end of the castle. Letting out a high 'yip', she flung herself off the couch and out the portrait hole, hiding from the teachers on patrol as her legs carried her as fast as they could. When she finally got to the tower, she found Draco pacing by the door. "Hey," she greeted him.

Draco stopped pacing to see her standing there. With a smile, he walked right over and pulled her into his arms. Anya instantly melted into his embrace, her arms wrapping around his waist as she breathed in his familiar scent of hair gel and cologne. She could feel the tension of the day already begin to drift away.

"Are you mad at me?"

Anya looked up into silvery eyes, wondering what suddenly brought this on. "Why would I be mad at you?" she asked.

"Because I haven't heard from you all summer," Draco replied.

Anya knew that this would probably happen. She had promised to keep in touch over the summer and she hadn't even talked to her parents, let alone her boyfriend, for the two months. Luckily, she had already come up with a story. "I'm sorry Draco. It's just that my parents and I went to Australia for the summer and we only got back a week before school started. I did get the letters." And that she did. When Anya had returned home at the end of the summer break, there was a giant pile of letters on her bed, one for every day of the week, 'I know I should have tried getting back to you sooner, or at least sent a letter saying where I was, but Mom wanted to have a 'family only' summer this year."

The lie seemed to work because the worry in Draco's eyes vanished as he smiled again. Anya returned the smile and rested her head on his chest, hiding the sadness she felt. It seemed so wrong to lie to him, but she had promised.

"I've got a surprise for you," Draco announced when he pulled away. Taking her back the hand, he led Anya into the room and Anya saw the most endearing thing. Draco had set up a red and white checkered picnic blanket on the ground, a small dish of her favorite deserts sitting beside a thermos of white hot chocolate. The soft light from the lit candles along with that of the moon and stars bathed the area in a warm glow.

"Oh Draco," Anya whispered, fighting back the tears. As much as she loved the attention he gave her, the endearment only made her feel worse about lying to him. She felt as if she was taking all his kind and caring gestures and throwing them back in his face, even if he didn't know it.

"There's something else," Draco smiled, thinking that the tears in her eyes were the result of how happy he made her. He led her to sit down before he hurried to the corner to return seconds later with a guitar in his hands. Taking a spot beside Anya, he gently began strumming the instrument before he began singing.

_You know I'd fall apart without you_  
><em>I don't know how you do what you do<em>  
><em>Cause everything that don't make sense about me<em>  
><em>Makes sense when I'm with you<em>  
><em>Like everything that's green, girl I need you<em>  
><em>But it's more than one and one makes two<em>  
><em>Put aside the math and the logic of it<em>  
><em>You gotta know you want it too<em>

_Cause I wanna wrap you up_  
><em>Wanna kiss your lips<em>  
><em>I wanna make you feel wanted<em>  
><em>And I wanna call you mine<em>  
><em>Wanna hold your hand forever<em>  
><em>And never let you forget it<em>  
><em>Yeah, I wanna make you feel wanted<em>

_Anyone can tell you you're pretty,_  
><em>And you get that all the time, I know you do<em>  
><em>But your beauty's deeper than the makeup<em>  
><em>And I wanna show you what I see tonight<em>

_When I wrap you up_  
><em>When I kiss your lips<em>  
><em>I wanna make you feel wanted<em>  
><em>And I wanna call you mine<em>  
><em>Wanna hold your hand forever<em>  
><em>Never let you forget it<em>  
><em>Cause baby I wanna make you feel wanted<em>

_As good as you make me feel_  
><em>I wanna make you feel better<em>  
><em>Better than your fairy tales<em>  
><em>Better than your best dreams<em>  
><em>You're more than everything I need<em>  
><em>You're all I ever wanted<em>  
><em>All I ever wanted<em>

_And I just wanna wrap you up_  
><em>Wanna kiss your lips<em>  
><em>I wanna make you feel wanted<em>  
><em>And I wanna call you mine<em>  
><em>Wanna hold your hand forever<em>  
><em>And never let you forget it<em>  
><em>Yeah, I wanna make you feel wanted<em>  
><em>Yeah, baby I wanna make you feel<em>  
><em>Wanted<em>  
><em>Cause you'll always be wanted<em>

Anya did feel wanted. With Draco, she always felt loved and appreciated, as if she really was the only girl in the world. She was just worried about how long it would take until her lies caught up with her.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AC: This is seriously going to bite me in the ass, isn't it?<strong>_

_**MMM: Can't tell you. You'll have to find out for yourself.  
><strong>_

_**AC: *thinks on it* Yeah... it's gonna bite me in the ass. *walks off*  
><strong>_

_**MMM: Hey! Hold on a second here! I need help walking! *limps off*  
><strong>_

_**R&R! I'll try and have another chapter ready for Sunday.  
><strong>_

_**Nancy (aka megamatchmaker)  
><strong>_


	54. Year 5 Ch3

**_MMM: So, SO sorry, you guys! I know I promised the new chapter weeks ago, but I completely blanked on it. Words cannot express how sorry I am. But i'm posting it now... finally._**

**_OK, so this year, things are really going to be crazy. But then again, we all knew that. Umbridge is there, after all. But it's different then what you think. If you've seen my youtube video, 'Bring me to Life', then you'll know that something big is going to happen. What? ... I'm really not sure of that myself. All I know that it's seriously going to test certain relationships._**

**_AC: What is that suppose to mean? *glares at author*_**

**_MMM: Pretty much what I just said._**

**_Anyway, I do not own Harry Potter. Unfrotunately. If I did, I would have written it a little differently (like the way I'm writing it now)_**

* * *

><p><strong>Ch. 54 Upchuck Umbridge<strong>

Anya was pissed off, no question about it. And the day had started off so well. She had a good night's sleep, her usually untameable hair had been manageable enough to put it into a stylish hairdo, and her wonderful and caring boyfriend sent her a simple 'have a good day' note in her owl post at breakfast. Even the morning classes had been alright since the teachers had opened the classroom windows, allowing the decent warm breeze and sunlight in. It had gone wonderfully.

That is, until after lunch… in Defense Against the Dark Arts.

Everyone was pretty much doing their own thing as they waited for the class to start. A couple of the Slytherins and Gryffindors were off in the back having a paper ball war, occasionally switching their targets to the students sitting in the back row. Others were doodling on spare parchment or just chatting with their friends about their summer or some other carefree thing. Anya watched from her seat on top of a desk as one of the Pavarti twins tapped their wand on an origami phoenix in their palm, spelling it to take flight. Slipping her wand out from her sleeve, Anya flicked her wand at it as it flew overhead so that its plain white coloring took on the classic fiery reds and yellows of a real phoenix's feathers.

"Nicely done," Ron complimented. Anya made a show of bowing. "Wicked cool."

Suddenly, the paper phoenix burst into flames, its charred remains gently fluttering to the ground. "I didn't do that," Anya stated.

"Good morning, children." Every pair of eyes turned to see _Professor_ Umbridge standing at the doorway, her wand pointed at the destroyed origami on the ground.

"Ah, my eyes!" Anya whispered to Hermione as everyone scurried to their seats, discreetly pointing to the crazy amount of pink the woman was wearing: a fluorescent pink dress suit made of tweed with a pair of high heeled mary janes with ugly pink bows attached to the buckles. "Where does this woman shop? _Pukes-R-Us_?" She faintly heard the brunette chuckle over the annoying _click-clack_ that came with every step the teacher took.

"Ordinary… Wizarding… Level… examinations," Umbridge began in an overly-cheerful voice while she spelled a piece of chalk to write the first three words down on the board in a row. "O-W-Ls. More commonly referred to as 'OWLs'. Study hard and you will be rewarded. Fail to do so, and the consequences will be… severe."

"How about you tell us something we _didn't_ already know," Anya mumbled to herself as she began doodling on the cover of her notebook. A minute into the class and she was already bored out of her mind. How on earth would she be able to stay awake in this class with Ms. Boring?

But that bored feeling quickly disappeared. Everyone watched as Umbridge flicked her wand at a couple piles of books on her desk that began to float through the aisles between desks, dropping a book in front of each student as it passed by. Anya looked down at the cover and felt her confusion go up a few notches. "_'Dark Arts Defense Basics for Beginners'_? Why are we getting these?" She flipped through the pages, not even bothering to pretend to listen to whatever Umbridge was saying. "Where are the spells?"

"Yes Ms. Collins? Is everything alright dear?"

Anya hadn't even realized that she had talked out loud. Looking up, she came face to face with the big blue eyes of the plump teacher. "Oh, sorry ma'am," she apologized, suddenly feeling very uncomfortable under the woman's gaze. "It's just that… there aren't any kinds of defense spells in this. How are we supposed to know what spells to use?"

"Using spells? And why ever would you need to use spells in my class?" Umbridge asked, her sugar-sweet attitude slowly beginning to grate on Anya's nerves.

"We're not going to use magic?" Ron asked, clearly as confused as everyone else in the class.

"You will be learning about magic in a secure, risk free environment," the woman elaborated, going on and on about things like 'theoretical studies' and 'what school is all about'.

And that's when things went bad. Every time Harry tried to voice his thoughts, like how could theory prepare them for the real world and that it wasn't as 'safe' out there as she was making it sound like, Umbridge would suddenly act as cross as if she was being faced with some juvenile delinquent that was trying to sell drugs to little kids or something. Eventually, the old broad got so fired up that she gave Harry detention for a week.

"This woman is seriously weird," Anya commented as class was let out. She waved her new school book around. "I mean, seriously! What does she expect us to learn from this piece of junk? How to write boring essays on how magic works?"

"Look on the bright side," Ron piped in. "She's got the post for Defense Against the Dark Arts. With any luck, the old bat will be gone before the school year's up."

Anya let out a groan. "That seems like it's so far away," she whined.

What none of the four friends knew though was that this was only the beginning, and it was about to get much worse.

,:~:,

"You know, I still can't believe that you guys _both_ got prefect duty," Anya commented as she, Hermione, and Ron climbed through the portrait hole. After dinner, the three of them had decided to hang out in the Great Hall for some time until Harry was finished with his detention. "I mean, it makes sense that they gave Hermione the job- she's the smartest girl in our year. But… I don't know. I'm trying to understand why they'd give it to you Ron, but other than being really good at wizard chess and eating, you're kind of an average student."

"How am I suppose to know?" the redhead asked, his ears slowly turning pink with embarrassment. "It's not like they tell you why you get the job. All they did was stuff my badge into the same letter they sent for the schoolbooks list."

"I'm not saying that they made a huge mistake or that you're dumb, Ron!" Anya quickly said. "I'm just surprised. That's all. And I'm proud of you."

"Well, I think that it's perfect for him," Hermione announced. "It'll teach you some responsibility, Ronald. With any luck, your grades will improve and you'll develop a strong study strategy and-"

"Ok Hermione. Let's not go making a male version of yourself here," Anya teased as she plopped down on the couch beside Harry. "So? How was detention with the pink toad?" she asked him, ignoring the appalled 'Anya!' that came from Hermione.

"Fine," he replied curtly, not even glancing up from the book in his lap.

Anya looked at him oddly before she figured that he was just tired from the first day back. With a sigh, she looked down at the book to see what was so _fascinating_ that could make her friend ignore them. When she did, she noticed that the cuff of his shirt sleeve, which had been pulled so far down his arm that it nearly reached his fingertips, sported a large spot of _blood_.

"What is that?" she asked as she started at the spot. Ignoring the boy's protests, Anya grabbed Harry's arm and yanked the sleeve up to expose the back of his hand. Sitting there, blood slowly oozing out of the scabbing wounds, were the words 'I must not tell lies' etched into his very skin. "What… is that?" she asked again, this time with words laced with venom so intense, it could take down a basilisk. "Did she do that to you?"

Hermione looked over the back of the couch to see what Anya was talking about and when she saw the marks, she gasped. "Harry, you have to report her!" she insisted. "Dumbledore has to know about this!"

"No," Harry argued as he pulled his arm out of Anya's grip. "Dumbledore's got more than enough to worry about right now. Besides, I don't want to give Umbridge the satisfaction."

"Bloody hell, mate. The woman's torturing you," Ron stated. "If the parents knew about this-"

"Yeah well, I haven't got any of those, now do I?" Harry bit out. Although her heart ached whenever she thought how difficult it must have been for Harry to grow up without a mother or father, Anya had to restrain herself from smacking him for his sharp reply. Ever since this summer, Harry had been acting a lot like a jerk and it was really getting annoying. With a huff, Harry grabbed his things and marched up the stairs to the boy's dorm room.

"What's gotten into him, you suppose?" Ron asked, visibly flinching as the door slammed shut behind their friend.

"No clue… But I'm going to find out- one way or another," Anya promised.

"Well, Harry may not be willing to go tell a teacher about Umbridge, but I am," Hermione announced. Before either Ron or Anya could stop her, the brunette was already up and out the portrait hole, heading to where Anya guessed was Professor McGonagall's office. The two friends sighed before they decided to have a game of wizard chess. After all, there had never been any stopping Hermione when she put her mind to something, and that would probably never change.

,:~:,

"…And now, this is going on. Honestly, I think there's something seriously messed up with this school," Anya continued talking to Draco. "I mean seriously- think about it. In the past four years, we've had the following for DA teachers: a man who quite literally had two faces- one of them belonging to an evil, sick son of a bitch wizard, a prissy little loser who only cared about his looks, an actual decent teacher who had to quit because parents didn't want a werewolf around their kids, and a Death Eater using polyjuice potion to look like the real wizard who was chosen for the job that he kidnapped. That job really is cursed."

Draco listened to ever word with a sense of dread clenching at his heart. His father, Lucius, had talked about the new professor, practically singing her praises, for thinking the 'right way'. And Draco knew that whatever his father thought was 'right' for the wizarding world normally meant trouble for everyone else, especially for anyone like his girlfriend- muggleborn.

He had to admit that he felt bad for Potter. Here he was, trying to warn people that You-Know-Who was back, and what do they do? Call him a liar.

Yes, Draco did believe that the darkest wizard of all time was back from the dead. Draco had noticed how often his father had left the manor in the middle of the night over the summer, sometimes not even returning until days later. And although Lucius had tried to hide it, the Malfoy heir had always seen the Death Eater mask his father wore poking from the pocket of his robes.

That was one of the things that worried Draco the most- the fact that his father was a loyal supporter of You-Know-Who. He figured that it would only be a matter of time before his father had him join. The thought of the very idea had Draco awake late at night with worry. At times, Draco had even considered telling Anya the truth about his father and convince her to run as far away as possible with him. He would gladly give up his wealth and power to be with her.

"Draco? Are you alright?" The young wizard snapped out of his thoughts to see his girlfriend staring at him with concern.

"I'm sorry Anya. My mind was elsewhere. What was that?" Draco apologized.

"I said that I know it probably won't ever happen, but do you think you could talk to the other Slytherins?" Anya asked. "Try to get them to lay off a bit with the personal attacks at Harry? He's really got a lot on his plate right now and they aren't helping. Please?" she pouted.

"I'll see what I can do. Just stop pouting," he replied while looking away. He hated seeing her pout- it looked so miserable.

Anya's lips instantly curved into a smile as she leaned over the table and gave him a quick kiss before turning back to her homework. Draco cracked a smile before reaching out to take her free hand in his, gently stroking his thumb along her knuckles as he flipped through a random book.

He did try to get the other Slytherins to lay off. While some of them to agree to do so, just because they wanted to appease the Malfoy heir (Crabbe and Goyle), most of them thought he was nuts and just ignored him.

And of course, Pansy Parkinson had to question him on his actions.

"Why should we? We all know Potter's lying, and so is Dumbledore. It's just some stupid joke they're trying to pull," she insisted. "You just want to look good for you _girlfriend_." She hissed out the word 'girlfriend'. Draco knew that Pansy was angry at the American witch ever since he told her that he had no intentions of going through with the arranged marriage their parents had made. But even if he had never met Anya, Draco still would have never married her.

"Just keep your snide remarks to yourself," he growled out before heading up to his dorm room.

,:~:,

Anya leaned up against a tree with her arms crossed, waiting for Harry to come out of the edge of the Dark Forest. This whole 'avoiding her and the others' thing was getting really old and she was going to end this once and for all.

Why couldn't he just see that he needed them? They had been friends for years now, sticking by one another through thick and thin. Sure, some spats may have torn them apart for a while, but they always realized just how stupid they had been acting and made up. It was what friends do.

So why was he being so difficult? Was it something about those nightmares he'd been having? Yes, Anya knew about them, even before Ron told her and Hermione- the dark circles under his eyes were enough of a clue. If it was, then why didn't he just tell them? They've been up against mountain trolls and giant snakes, braved through the Forbidden Forest. Hell, they survived Gilderoy Lockhart's class. If they could handle that, they could handle anything.

A twig snapping brought Anya out of her thoughts and she looked up as Harry and Luna Lovegood came walking out of the forest. When the dark haired wizard saw her standing there, he immediately ran up to her and wrapped her up in a hug that could rival hers. "I'm sorry Anya. I've been a complete arse."

"You think?" Anya scoffed but returned the hug with a smile. "Good to have you back," she whispered. When she pulled away, her hand made a sharp _'smack!'_ against the back of his head. "_That's_ for being such a jerk, Potter. And if you _ever_ do that again to me, I promise I'll do worse than that!" she threatened him.

"Hello Anya," Luna greeted in her dreamy, spaced out voice.

"Oh, hey Luna. How's it going?" Anya greeted back. "I take it that you're the one to thank for this Kodak moment here." She looked down at the blonde's feet to see that they were completely bare. "Umm… why aren't you wearing any shoes?"

"Nargles," was the reply she got. "I think I'll go have some pudding." And with that, the two friends watched as the Ravenclaw student merrily skipped away without a care in the world.

"You know," Anya began as she and Harry slowly made their way back to the castle," I don't think I'll ever truly understand that girl."

"You and me both," Harry agreed.

* * *

><p><em><strong>MMM: So, there you have it! Hope you all liked this chapter. With any luck, I'll get some new ones typed up soon. Wish me luck!<br>**_

_**And please, don't forget to read and review! You don't even have to sign up to fanfiction! Guests can post comments too! Please?**_

_**Nancy (aka megamatchmaker)  
><strong>_


	55. Year 5 Ch4

**_MMM: Here's the new chapter, you guys! Hopefully, after being away for such long periods of time, I've got another good chapter that you'll all enjoy. I know it's kind of short, but I couldn't really stretch it any further than I did._****  
><strong>

**_AC: Well, it's about time! For a sec there, I thought you died on us or something.  
><em>**

**_MMM: And leave you guys before it gets to the really good stuff? As if!  
><em>**

**_DM: It's good to have you back, Nancy.  
><em>**

**_AC: Why are you so nice all of a sudden?  
><em>**

**_DM: Because I know who's in control of this story.  
><em>**

**_AC: So you're being a major suck-up then, huh?  
><em>**

**_DM: Pretty much.  
><em>**

**_MMM: ANYWAY... Shall we continue the story? Yes? Good.  
><em>**

**_And as always, I do not own Harry Potter._**

* * *

><p><strong>Ch. 55 Time to Fight Back<strong>

Things only got worse at the weeks went on. As if not being taught properly in Defense Against the Dark Arts, Umbridge was beginning to affect the other courses as well. Every day, there was one of her surprise 'inspections' where she would come into the classroom and begin shooting random questions at the teachers, mostly about their work at the school and personal things like that, taking note of it all on her clipboard.

And then there her new post as the High Inquisitor of Hogwarts and with it came new rules and restrictions. First it was things like 'all Weasley products are to be banned', but it quickly escalated to stupid things like 'students are not permitted to be within eight inches of each other'. Anya was positive that this woman had been picked on as a child and was now taking revenge by making the children of those that mocked her miserable.

And why was all of this happening? Well, it wasn't hard to figure out. The Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, believed that all the talk about Voldemort coming back was Dumbledore's way of trying to shoulder his way to get Fudge's job. And so the paranoid wizard sent Umbridge to Hogwarts to be his eyes and ears while she kept the students from learning any real magic since he thought that Dumbledore would use them as some kind of army when no one believed of Voldemort's return.

When Umbridge decided to fire Professor Trelawney and attempted to ban her from the school grounds, Anya and the others had had enough.

So when the next Hogsmeade visit rolled around, the Golden Quartet had called a special meeting of a bunch of students, ones they knew didn't approve of Umbridge's controlling ways: the rest of the Weasley family, Neville Longbottom, Cho Chang, Dean Thomas, Vi, and a few other students that Anya couldn't remember the names of.

"Umm… Hi," Hermione greeted them. "So… you all know why we're here. We need a teacher- a proper teacher. One that's had real experiences with the dark arts."

Of course, there were some who thought the idea was stupid and didn't believe that Voldemort was back because there was no 'proof'. One kid tried to weasel out more info about how Cedric Diggory had been killed last year, but Harry had none of that. Anya saw how Cho began tense at the mention of her late boyfriend's name, and she couldn't blame her. After all, Anya had talked to Cedric before he died and he had told her about his big plans for the future with the Ravenclaw girl.

Just as Harry was about to leave the little pub they were in, Luna spoke up about how Harry could produce a Patronus charm. And with that, more stories about the amazing things Harry had done in the past four years were told. How he fought the basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets using the sword of Godric Gryffindor, how he took on almost a hundred dementors back in the third year, and other things like that.

"Listen, it all sounds great when you say it like that…" Harry began, stopping all the gossip and murmuring in the room. "But the truth of the matter is that it was mostly just luck. I didn't know what I was doing half the time and I nearly always had help from someone."

"He's just being modest," Hermione commented, but Harry stopped her.

"Facing this stuff in real life isn't like school," he continued. "In school, if you just make a mistake, you can always try again tomorrow. But in real life… when you're a second away from being murdered, or watching a friend die right in front of you… You don't know what that's like," he finished sadly as he sat back down.

Anya stood up and watched over to his side. "You're right- we don't know. And if we're gonna have any chance at beating Voldemort, it's going to be cause you helped us," she told him, squeezing his shoulder gently for reassurance.

And that's what did it. By the end of the day, everyone in that room finally believed that Voldemort was back, and 'Dumbledore's Army' was founded. Now all they needed was a place to train without Umbridge finding out.

And they did find a place, thanks to Neville. When he showed the Golden Quartet where this room was up on the seventh floor, Hermione called it the 'Room of Requirement', saying that it was magically designed for whoever was in real need of it, always equipped with the seeker's needs. The room they had was very large, containing bookshelves, cushioned seats, target dummies, and a bulletin board where Harry pinned the list of the DA members and the picture Sirius had given him of the original Order of the Phoenix.

They practised as often as possible, sneaking passed Umbridge's little Inquisitorial Squad, led by the sour old caretaker, Mr. Filch, who patrolled the halls in attempts to catch them. To prevent anyone outside of the DA from finding out about meetings, Hermione and Anya developed fake Gold Galleons that had serial numbers that would change to show the date and time of the meetings and would become warm to silently signal the members.

,:~:,

"I'm going to join the Inquisitorial Squad," Draco suddenly announced, causing Anya to stop in her tracks as they were walking through the school corridors. "Just hear me out," he pleaded.

"Are you _fucking kidding_ me?" Anya nearly yelled, gaining quite the stare from some of the older students. "Why the hell would you do something like that?"

"I could tell you, but you'd have to stop screaming at me first," Draco answered. He could tell that Anya was just about ready to hex him into next week, but she nodded curtly to allow him to do so. "Umbridge thinks that all the Slytherins are rooting for her ideas, so she wouldn't suspect if one of us is spying on her. If I join her Squad, I can figure out what she's up to and warn you about it while keeping her as far away from… wherever it is that you're having these meetings of yours."

Anya looked skeptical. "And how could you do that? Wouldn't she suspect something's up when you avoid the area where we are?"

Draco shook his head. "I'll make sure that I'm the only one who's patrolling that area. She'll never even know." He could see the hesitation in her eyes. "Come on Anya, don't you trust me?"

Anya sighed before she walked up to him, wrapping her arms around his waist in a tight hug. "I do trust you Draco, but my friends… they still think that you're going to break my heart one day."

Draco held her close as he kissed her hair. "I promise you Anya, I will _never_ do anything to hurt you. I love you."

Anya looked up at him with her big violet eyes and he felt every bone in his body turn to jelly. "I love you too," she whispered.

Just as they leaned in to kiss each other, a loud 'ahem!' sounded behind Draco, causing them to break apart. Looking over his shoulder, Draco saw Pansy standing there with her arms crossed, that stupid Inquisitorial Squad badge of hers gleaming in the light from the torches. "You know the rules, Collins," she sneered at the American witch. "I'm going to have to report this, you know." She took out a small pad of paper and a quill. "Let's see now… How many decrees did you just break?"

"Do I look like I'm scared of you?" Anya huffed at the Slytherin girl. "Why don't you just take that dumb piece of brass on your chest and shove it up your ass, Parkinson? No one listened to you before, and that hunk of metal isn't going to change anything."

"Foul language, public display of affection, improper dress code," Pansy jotted down on the paper, eyeing the light blue sneakers on the other witch's feet. "Ooh… so many decrees broken. You'll be lucky if you don't get expelled." The glee in her voice was clear that _that_ was exactly what she was hoping would happen.

"Sod off, Parkinson!" Draco hissed at the other Slytherin. Pansy just shrugged before tucking the pad and quill back in her pocket and walked away, making sure to blow a kiss in his direction before she left.

"God, I hate her so much!" Anya growled, violet eyes blazing with fury. Draco was sure that if he hadn't been holding her hand, she would have gone after the other witch to possibly rip her limb from limb, and as sexy as Draco thought his girlfriend was when she got jealous, he didn't want to see her stoop down to Parkinson's level. But instead, she just turned back into his arms and hugged him again. "I'm trusting you, Draco. Please don't make me regret it," he heard her whisper the last part to herself.

_'Never,'_ Draco silently promised her.

And so that's how it went. Draco joined the Inquisitorial Squad under the pretense that he just wanted to see Potter get into serious trouble, while he secretly kept the other Squad members away from where they should have looked. Anya had given Draco one of the special Galleons so that he knew when especially to stay away from the seventh floor.

Surprisingly, Pansy said nothing on the fact that Draco was now a member of the Squad. Was it because she still feared Draco after the threat he made to her last year when she insulted Anya? Or was there another motive behind her actions, one even more troublesome? Whatever it was, Draco didn't like it one bit. But he couldn't so anything without provoking her to go to Umbridge with what she knew about him. He was stuck between a rock and a hard place.

,:~:,

"Today, we're going to be trying something a little different this time," Harry announced once everyone had gathered for the DA meeting, his friends ranking on either side of him. He swept his arm back to the area behind him to the large training course. First there was a rope net hanging down from a high platform where swinging ropes were set across from a landing mat. After that, there was a series of swinging sandbags going back and forth at a balance beam over one of the Weasley twins' portable swamp wheezes. A large rock climbing wall was at the end of that and on the other side was a large group of the target dummies disguised as Death Eaters, each spelled to fire hexes and jinxes at a moving target in the ring.

"How do you expect us to do that?" one of the Ravenclaw students asked. "That's worse than Lupin's final exam back in third year!"

"Yeah?" Anya questioned. "Well here's a newsflash for you- in real life, the bad guy isn't going to just stand there and let you hit him. You've got to learn how to be quick on your feet and know how to use your surroundings to your advantage."

"And I suppose you're excellent at that," the student scoffed.

"Why don't you just watch and see?" Harry challenged before turning back to his American friend. "Ready Anya?"

"Born ready," she smirked, shedding off her outer robes and tying her hair into a messy bun. With a confident strut, she walked over to the beginning of the course with her wand in hand, getting down in a crouch runners use when they're about to do a hundred meter dash.

"On your mark… get set… GO!"

Anya was quick. She flew over to the rope net, easily pulling herself up to the top, where she grabbed one of the ropes and swung to the mat, letting go half way so that she could add in a full body twist before she landed. She ran over to the balance beam and hauled herself up onto it. She then began a series of elaborate back flips and cartwheels, the sandbags hardly ever coming close to her. If they did, she sent a powerful kick or spell its way to knock it back. She climbed the rock wall with ease and jumped off the top, using '_Spongify_' on the ground below her so it became like a trampoline, sending her flying into the center of the ring of 'Death Eaters'. There, she began sending jinxes and hexes at the targets on their chests, sometimes grabbing the arm of one and twisting her body so that she could aim the spell about to be fired at another target before she took that one down. By the end, she was out of breath and her hair was everywhere in her face, her stance tense as she looked down at the fallen targets laying around her.

"Still think you could do better?" Vi asked the Ravenclaw student with a smirk.

"That doesn't look so tough," he scoffed, but the look in his eyes clearly showed that he was intimidated by the girl's ability.

The next hour was spent walking the other DA members through each part of the training course. Some ended up flat on their face when they tried swinging on the ropes, some covered in the slimy green goop from the swamp at the balance beam, or some affected by whatever spell hit them in the fighting ring. It was hard work, but they eventually got through it.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AC: You seriously made me bad ass. I like it!<strong>_

_**MMM: *shrugs* I try.  
><strong>_

_**Don't forget to review people!  
><strong>_

_**Nancy (aka megamatchmaker)  
><strong>_


	56. Year 5 Ch5

_**MMM: Hey you guys. I know that I've been slow on the updating and I'm sorry, but I have a solid good reason for it- my computer. It's acting weird! I don't know what's going on with it! I've done the updates a dozen times- always getting some 'ERROR' issue with it. I've tried restarting it, and sometimes it takes 15 minutes just for it to get through showing the 'Windows Live' bit that usually pops up when you restart a computer. Other times, the screen stays black! Then Firefox keeps freezing, or the computer restarts all on its own and all the work I've already done is erased... Honestly, I love this computer, but it's giving me a little too much grief for my liking.  
><strong>_

_**AC: I'm so sorry Nancy. Is there anything I can do?**_

_**MMM: Do you know anything about the computer brain functionings and how to fix any of these problems I'm having?**_

_**AC: ... No. But I can try magic! *pulls out trusty wand***_

_**HG: Anya, I don't think that's a good idea.**_

_**AC *pouts* Why not? We've used magic on technology before.**_

_**HG: Yes, but a small MP3 player is far more different than a laptop. If something were to go horribly wrong, the magic might accidentally go out into the world through the internet and-**_

_**RW: Will one of you please tell me what the bloody hell this 'inter-net' thing is?**_

_**HP: It's a long story, Ron.**_

_**MMM: Alright, everyone who is not an actual 3 dimensional, human being who lives in the world of reality and NOT literature, kindly leave this author's note. *watches everyone walk away* Sorry about that. Well, hopefully, I can figure something about with my laptop.  
><strong>_

_**Disclaimer: Harry Potter world- Not mine. When Opposites Attract world- MINE!**_

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><p><strong>Ch. 56 Holiday Cheers and Screams<strong>

By the time the Christmas holidays rolled around, Anya felt drained. Who would have thought that juggling her regular schoolwork, studying for the big OWL exams, and keeping their _real_ defense classes a secret from their new teacher- one who Anya really wanted to hex into oblivion- would take such a toll? Well, maybe Anya didn't really need to worry as much about that last bit. After all, she did have a wonderful boyfriend who had infiltrated Umbridge's Inquisitorial Squad in order to keep the other members away.

With the help of their favorite little house-elf, Dobby, the Golden Quartet was able to decorate the Room of Requirement in time for the holidays, just to brighten up the mood a little before everyone went to do their own thing during the two weeks off.

"So that's it for today's lesson. Now, we won't be meeting again until after the holidays," Harry announced, earning quite the few groans of disappointment from the other students. "So just keep practising on your on and… great, _great_ work everyone. Really, well done."

"Way to go Harry," Anya congratulated her friend while everyone said their goodbyes.

"Thanks," he replied, only paying about half his attention to what she had said. His eyes were practically glued onto Cho Chang as she stood off by the bulletin board, sadly staring up at picture of her late boyfriend that was hanging there.

Anya noticed this and while Harry was still lost in his little world, she secretly signalled Ron and Hermione for them all to leave with the rest of the crowd. The two quickly glanced at what Anya was trying to tell them before agreeing, telling their other friend that they'd see him later up in the common room before they left.

Unfortunately, not everyone seemed to realize what was going on as the Boy Who Lived made his way over to the Ravenclaw student. Fred and George stopped Harry halfway, going on and on about an idea they had of getting Umbridge by slipping some of their puking pastilles or fever fudge into her food and drink.

Before they could continue talking about the gross after effects of their sweets, which was about to result in a natural reaction of one in particular from the American, Anya quickly interrupted. "Fred! George! Glad I caught you. Umm… I wanted to see if you guys wanted to help me prank… Mr. Filch! Yeah. That's it. Well, come on then! Let's get back to Gryffindor tower to iron out the details." Not giving them the chance to reply, she went behind them and pushed hard on their backs to get them moving. "Come on! Come on! Time waits for no wizard, don't you know?" And with an encouraging smile at Harry, she closed the doors behind herself. "Whew!" she sighed with relief, leaning against the stone wall where the door had just been.

"What was that for Anya?" Fred asked.

"Yeah! We were just talking about how we were planning on giving Umbridge some massive, pus-filled boils that-"

"I really don't want to know, George!" Anya interrupted the other twin, her nose wrinkling in disgust. The last thing she wanted to hear about was something gross just before bed, or she would have been dreaming about it all night for sure.

The twins sighed before simultaneously asking what it was she had wanted to talk about. Anya figured that it had to be some kind of twin thing since she'd seen them do it so perfectly so many times in the past. Even her friends back in New York, Emily and Irene Holt, did it quite often.

"Sorry boys, but there is no plan. I just said that in order to get you two out of there to give Harry some privacy," she told them as they all began to head back to their common room.

"What are you talking about? What privacy?" George asked.

"Yeah. How could he possibly have any privacy with that Change girl in-" Fred began only to stop.

Like any other twin-telepathy, George caught on to his brother's train of thought and Anya watched as impish grins grew on their faces. It was almost like watching the holiday cartoon, _'How the Grinch Stole Christmas'_. "That sly dog!" they laughed.

"Come on, Georgie. Let's go and-" Fred started as he turned around to go back the way they came, no doubt to embarrass the younger wizard in the Room of Requirement, when they found their path blocked and a beige wand pointing right in their faces.

"Oh, no you don't!" Anya said. There was no way on this earth that she was going to let these two pranksters ruin Harry's 'first kiss' moment. "You two are gonna go straight back to Gryffindor tower, and you're not going to breath a word of this to _anyone_! Is that clear?" The tone in her voice and the fire in her eyes left no room for disagreement. The two older boys shivered with fear before nodding. "Good. Oh! And before I forget- don't even _think_ about teasing Harry about it either." Again, the redheads nodded before running off like dogs with their tails between their legs. Anya smiled to herself as she tucked her wand back up her sleeve before calmly following after them.

As she rounded the corner, a hand shot out and wrapped around her, pinning her arms down on her sides while the other clamped over her mouth to muffle any screams.

But Anya was quick to retaliate. She began squirming around and once her left arm was free, she swung it back with all of her might, her elbow making a very powerful connection with her attacker's chest. While the wind was knocked out of them, Anya grabbed the hand at her mouth and yanked, pulling it out far enough that she could get a good grip on it before she literally threw her opponent over her shoulder.

"Draco!" Anya squeaked through her fingers when she saw that she had just 'defended' herself from her boyfriend.

"Well… at least I know you can handle yourself," he coughed as he laid sprawled out at her feet. "Ow."

"Oh my God! Draco, I'm so sorry!" Anya apologized as she kneeled down beside him, frantically fusing. "Are you ok? I thought you were one of Umbridge's cronies! God, I am _so, so_ sorry!"

"Anya, it's alright," Draco smiled as he grabbed her hands. "I'm fine."

"Are you sure? Because I remember taking down some other guys like that before, and they wound up with bruises everywhere and-"

Anya's rambling was quickly cut off when Draco pressed his lips against hers, effectively silencing her worries. Anya wasn't sure how he could always turn her into such a pile of mush, but she sure wasn't going to be complaining any time soon. When the broke apart, Anya's head felt fuzzy. "What was I talking about?" she murmured in her dazed state.

Draco just laughed as he got back to his feet before he helped her up as well. When she looked up, she saw that he was holding a small velvet box. "Don't you think we're a little young for that?" she joked, but her voice betrayed her by cracking with surprise on the last word.

Draco laughed again. "Yes, I know that. But I can wait a few more years." By now, Anya's heart was beating about a mile a minute. _'Did he pretty much just admit that he wants to marry me one day?'_ she thought. "But this is something that I saw ad I instantly thought of you," Draco finished as he handed the box over.

Resting on the cushion inside was a silver ring shaped to form a music clef with a small amethyst stone centered in the end of the tail of the music symbol.

"Draco… it's beautiful," Anya breathed. She looked up to see his silver eyes staring down at her as if she were the only girl in the entire world. She watched as he simply took the ring out of the box and slid it onto her finger. "But I don't have anything for you," Anya finished lamely, now feeling guilty for not thinking about getting him a gift sooner. It was their first Christmas as an actual couple, and she didn't have anything for him.

"It's alright," Draco insisted as he pulled her in for a hug. "I've got all I want right here, right now."

"You are such a cheese-ball," Anya laughed as she returned the hug. How did he always find a way to cheer her up?

"But I'm your cheese-ball," he laughed back, pulling away enough to press a kiss to her forehead. "So… shall I escort you back to Gryffindor tower, milady?" Draco made a show of bowing low before he held his arm out for her to take.

"Yes, please," Anya sighed in content as she ducked under his offered arm so she could stand closer into his side, slipping her own arm around his back. She felt his arm fall over her shoulders and she sighed again when she felt him press another kiss into her hair. "Hey Draco?"

"Yes, love?" Anya felt that familiar shiver of delight whenever he called her that pet name.

"Do you have any special plans this Christmas?" she asked as they continued down the deserted corridors.

Draco shrugged. "Well, I was just planning on staying here for the two weeks off. Just relax for a bit, maybe even keep an eye on Umbridge and see what else she's got bubbling in her head. That sort of thing."

"Sounds good," Anya agreed. "I was just asking because Mom's been more or less begging me to come visit for the holidays. And seeing as she never stops talking about you in every letter she's written me, I guess she wanted to see if you'd come too. But I'd completely understand if you'd rather-"

"I would be honored to escort you for the Christmas holidays," Draco interrupted her. "That is, if you'll have me over."

Anya smiled back at him. "I'll let my parents know. But I should warn you, Mom's probably going to have Auntie Joy and her family over, so be ready to get grilled by my cousins."

Draco smiled. "Sounds perfect."

,:~:,

The room was not a part of Hogwarts, Draco was sure of that. Or if it was, it wasn't a part that he'd been in on one of his many late night walks. It was a large, circular space, barely lit by the lights that came from the very high ceilings overhead. The only light there was beamed down on a very odd archway that stood on a hill of boulders and dirt, its rocky structure slowly crumbling away with the passing years.

Suddenly, Draco began to hear screaming. Looking up, he saw several figures falling at a rapid speed to where he was. Just before they hit the bottom, a magical force stopped them inches from the ground, effectively stopping the plummet to their deaths, before it released them again. Draco watched as they all picked themselves up, dusting the dirt from their clothes.

"Anya!" Draco called out when he saw his girlfriend standing in the group. There was a tear in the shoulder of her sleeve, as if she had tried to escape someone's grasp, and there was a small trail of fresh blood slowly dripping from her hairline, but other than that, she seemed to be alright. He went to go embrace her, ask her what she and her friends were doing here- wherever 'here' was, but before he could take a step closer, a shroud of darkness wrapped around Draco.

When it lifted, Draco's heart clenched with fear.

Standing there instead of Potter and the rest of the group from seconds before, dressed in his Death Eater robes with a sneer on his face, was none other than Draco's father. And standing beside the older male Malfoy, holding onto Anya with a knife at her throat was Draco's deranged aunt, Bellatrix Lestrange.

Draco had heard his mother talk about her sister when he had been younger. Bellatrix had been a very dedicated follower to You-Know-Who back in the day, slowly becoming more and more insane with each passing day. Draco had never actually met the woman; only knowing her by appearance in the few pictures that his mother had kept from their younger years. When You-Know-Who had been defeated fourteen years ago, Bellatrix had been sent to Azkaban, along with many other Death Eaters who had neither the money nor family power to keep themselves out of the prison. It was clear to Draco that all that time in Azkaban had driven his aunt to a point beyond any level of insanity that could be imagined.

"Father? What are you doing here?" Draco asked, his eyes never straying from Anya's fear-filled ones. Lucius noticed this, and his sneer seemed to only grow with disgust.

"You are no son of mine," Lucius barked at the younger wizard. "You stopped being a Malfoy the moment you corrupted our pure blood with this pathetic excuse of a witch!" He pointed the silver snakehead of his cane at Anya's quivering form. "Their very _existence_ is a mockery of our world!"

"Don't you dare speak about her like that!" Draco shot back.

Bellatrix laughed maniacally. Draco noticed Anya flinch and he saw a small drop of blood blossom onto her skin where the knife was. He stepped forward to her, hoping he could somehow get her out of the clutches of his insane aunt, but a shot of red sparks flew at him, landing directly in front of his feet. Looking back at his father, Draco saw that it was him that had cast the curse that barely missed him.

"I wouldn't try that again if I were you, _boy_," Lucius sneered.

"Let Anya go!" Draco demanded.

"You _dare_ take the side of this Mudblood- over your own _father_?!" Bellatrix screeched in anger, subconsciously tightening her grip on the blade in her hand and digging it deeper into Anya's neck. "What has my sister been teaching you?!"

"Anya isn't a Mudblood. She one of the best witches our world ever had the privilege of knowing!" Draco said. If he could just distract the older witch and wizard long enough, he could get his wand out and get Anya back to safety.

"Don't make me laugh!" Bellatrix barked. "She's a Mudblood and that's all there is to it! She has no right to the magic that flows in her veins! But I plan to fix that." She turned her attention to the scared witch in her grasp. "How about we just bleed that magic right out now? How does that sound?"

"Please, no," Anya whimpered, which only caused Bellatrix to laugh with her twisted merriment. Before Draco could stop her, Bellatrix dragged the knife across Anya's throat.

"NO!" Draco shouted as he woke up in a cold sweat. Looking around, he saw that he wasn't in some unknown location and there were no crazed family relatives or murdered girlfriends in the room with him. He was back in his dorm room where the only sounds were the snores of his roommates. Shaking from the image his nightmare had burned into his memory, Draco crept out of bed and headed downstairs into the common room.

Unfortunately, he wasn't alone.

As if he hadn't handled enough nightmares for one night, Draco found none other than Pansy Parkinson stepping through the entrance to the common room and judging by her attire, it was clear that she wasn't out past curfew because she was _studying_.

"Well, well… Look at what the cat dragged in," Draco sneered, effectively scaring the witch as she quietly tip-toed her way through the room... in three inch stilettos.

Pansy looked over to see the Slytherin Prince standing there and she relaxed. "Oh… Draco, it's you," she cooed. Ever since Draco publically announced to the school that he and Anya were an official item and that he had never intended on going through with the arranged marriage his family had made with the Parkinsons, Pansy had come to some crazed solution that he was just nervous about it and was just using the American witch as an excuse to make her jealous. How quickly she seemed to forget about how he had threatened her just last year. But she insisted that she was right and went out of her way to flirt with him whenever he and Anya were around.

"Let me guess… shagging some pathetic older Slytherin bloke who probably won't even remember your face by morning?" Draco taunted. It wasn't a secret that Pansy was more or less the school slut, nor did she try to hide the fact. Instead, she practically flaunted it, convinced that she was driving Draco crazy with jealously every time she threw herself at some random guy when in truth, Draco pitied them. He could only imagine what kind of diseases the girl carried and spread.

"Why Drakie… do I detect jealousy in you?" she cooed again as she slinked up towards him in a 'seductive' manner.

"Don't make me vomit," Draco sneered again, pushing her away from his person.

"Oh… don't be like that Drakie," Pansy pouted, making her even more unattractive than before. "You know you're the only real wizard for me. But while you're slumming it with that twit Collins, I deserve to have a little fun. I mean, you've probably done it just as much with that little brat-"

"First of all, my relationship has nothing to do with you," Draco cut her off. "Secondly, whether we've 'done it' or not is none of your concern. And thirdly, unlike _you_, Anya is a real witch who doesn't go prostituting herself around as if it were going out of season!" Not even waiting for her response, Draco marched right back up to his dorm room.

,:~:,

"Drake!" Anya looked up from setting down the large platter of fresh veggies and dip to see her little cousin Cathy come running into the house, snowflakes still clinging to her blonde locks that her mother had tied back with a green ribbon. She couldn't help but smile at the picture of the seven-year old in her new Christmas outfit- red velvet with white lace around the cuffs and hem of the skirt, white tights and black Mary-Jane shoes. It was almost an exact duplicate of a dress Anya's own mother had made her wear one year when she was little. Anya's smile grew bigger when she saw Draco bend down so the little girl could fling her arms around his neck. "You came, you came, you came!" Cathy exclaimed gleefully.

"Yes, I'm here," Draco laughed as he picked the little girl up in his arms. He made a show of looking her up and down. "My, you look very pretty."

Cathy giggled. "Thanks. But Ann looks super pretty," she commented, pointing to where her cousin stood. Self-consciously, Anya smoothed her hand down the front of her hunter green cowl neck dress. That paired with her black leggings and short black ankle boots and a black and silver belt gave the plain outfit a bit more of a teen-friendly flare, but still classic.

"She sure is," Draco mused, causing Anya to blush with embarrassment.

"Merry Christmas, everyone!" Brad's booming voice sounded from the front hall where a giant pile of gifts came wandering through with the twenty-year old. He poked his head around the parcels and Anya saw him with a Santa hat on his head. "Hey Draco! Great to see you again!" he greeted the blonde.

"Right back at you, mate," Draco greeted.

"Why don't you go place those under the tree, Brad?" Auntie Joy said as she came into the room with her other daughter, Debbie, and Brad's girlfriend, Donna. "How about we get this Christmas party started, alright?"

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><p><em><strong>MMM: Well, there you have it, folks! One new chapter ready for your seal and stamp of approval (I hope). PLEASE remember to read and review. I know I probably don't deserve it for not posting in so long, but I would appreciate it. I've got a long week coming up and I'm gonna need some reviews- clients coming in for treatement facials, and some clients? Not so friendly to work with. Well, at least I'll be with friends who will be suffering the same fate as me.<strong>_

_**See ya!**_

_**Nancy (aka megamatchmaker)**_


	57. Year 5 Ch6

_**MMM: Hey, hey, hey! :P That sounded like Fat Albert. Let me try again- Hey there, my fellow readers! 'Fellow readers'? Now I sound like a Hallmart card. Too weird. 3rd time- Hi! Yeah, that sounds better.**_

_**Well, I'm back, people! Whatever was going on with my computer, it's over. Don't know how, but I'm not complaining. So I thought I'd celebrate by posting a new chapter. But I should warn you, this isn't going to be a happy, lovey-dovey chapter, as you can see by the chapter title below.**_

_**AC: What is that suppose to mean?**_

_**MMM: Let's just say, the happy train is hitting the brakes- big time!**_

_**AC: But that's not fair! *hugs Draco close***_

_**MMM: Sorry Anya, but I'm the writer and this is how I'm going with the chapter.**_

_**AC: *pouts***_

_**MMM: Don't give me that look.**_

_**Disclaimer: You know the drill. If not, please look to pervious chapters. I'm getting tired of repeating it.**_

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><p><strong>Ch. 57 Betrayal<strong>

As grateful as Anya had been to get away from school for two weeks, she was just as grateful to be going back. With the announcement of her relationship with Draco came the endless waves of teasing from her cousins and the death glares from her father. Anya loved her dad, but it was time for him to realise that she wasn't a little girl anymore and eventually, she would have brought a guy home. If it hadn't of been for her mother, Anya was sure her dad would have shot Draco on sight every time he walked in the room.

Another reason why Anya was so anxious to go back to Hogwarts was because she desperately wanted to talk to Ron. According to what little he had been able to tell her before he along with the rest of the Weasley children had been rushed back home, Harry had had one of his strange vision-nightmares, and this one had shown Mr. Weasley being attacked by something. Members of the Order of the Phoenix had gone to investigate and sure enough, Arthur Weasley had been attacked. Luckily though, the wounds hadn't been fatal and he survived. Anya wanted to know how the man was doing seeing as he was practically another father to her.

And there was also the fact that Anya was desperate to get back to the defense classes. Over the two weeks, Anya had kept an eye and ear open to the wizarding world news and with every new missing person's report and mysterious disaster, Anya's worry levels spiked higher and higher to the point where she had to be extra cautious not to perform any underage magic. As it was, she had nearly hexed Brad when he had sneaked into the kitchen for a late night snack while she was suffering a bad case of jetlag.

So if the price of this was to be back with books and annoying teachers, then it was a price she would gladly pay.

"Are you alright, love?" Draco asked her, noticing that she seemed lost in her thoughts. Then again, how couldn't he? A bomb could have gone off within five feet from her and Anya would probably have still been clueless until she was blasted off her feet.

Giving him an encouraging smile, Anya pressed a kiss to his cheek before snuggling closer into his side. "I'm fine," she told him.

,:~:,

"Make it as happy a memory as you can," Harry instructed the DA as they began their newest lesson. "Producing a full body patronus is very difficult, but shields are just as effective," he continued, going through the crowd, making comments and corrections for those who needed.

Anya used the memories she had of her friends and just how that friendship had only become even stronger and concrete with each amazing- and sometimes incredibly deadly- adventure they'd faced. The power of those memories were so strong that when she uttered the spell, the silvery mist that come from her wand began to take shape in the form of a large black panther. The creature let out a menacing growl while it crouched back in a defensive stance, baring its fangs as it swiped a lawed paw at the air. Seamus, one of the newest members to the DA who also just happened to be standing a few feet away from Anya, took one look at the patronus and let out a whimper of fright, tripping over his own two feet in an attempt to get away. Anya felt somewhat pleased seeing as Seamus had been giving Harry the hardest time for the longest. It was good to knock him down a peg or two. Anya was nearly shaking with laughter.

But then she realized that she _was_ shaking. In fact, the whole room was. The crystal chandeliers overhead rattled dangerously to where Anya was sure they'd fall. She carefully stepped out from the one she was currently standing under. Everyone's attention turned to the far wall covered with a large mirror- the wall where the door always appeared- and watched as it shook.

Suddenly, the mirror shattered, sending fragments of the reflective glass everywhere. Anya felt someone grab her wrist and pull her back and she found herself faced with the backs of Fred and George, both holding their wands out in defense. A hand on her shoulder brought her attention to the other Weasley boy who had taken his stance beside her. A familiar feeling of brotherly love and protectiveness radiated from the three redheads.

"I'll make short work of this." Anya's head snapped back to the sound of Umbridge's annoying voice. Even from the back of the room, she could still make out the old shrew's disgusting pink form through the small gap in the wall. "_Bombarda Maxima_," Umbridge said calmly as she pointed at the wall that separated her from the hidden room. Harry, who had gone closer to investigate the gap, barely was able to dodge out of the way before the wall was blasted to pieces.

They were caught.

When the smoke cleared, Anya saw that Umbridge was flanked by a few of her Inquisitorial Squad members and Mr. Filch. But that wasn't what really send her heart plummeting.

Because when two other figures stepped into view, Anya saw that they hadn't just been caught, but they had been betrayed. One of the two figures was none other than Cho Chang, Harry's big crush. And the one who had dragged her into view was… _Draco_.

Anya felt like someone had just ripped her heart out of her chest before using it as a prop in a Mexican hat dance. Sure, she had always suspected that she would get her heart broken one day. What girl didn't? But for it to happen like this… She felt as if someone might as well have just casted the Cruciatus curse on her. Why did she ever believe that she could have some fairy tale love? That the first guy she'd love would be her prince charming and they'd ride off into the sunset and live happily ever after? How could she have been foolish enough to think that she could change the known bad boy of the school? The hand on her shoulder gave a comforting squeeze but she only turned into Ron's chest and cried silent tears.

"Get them!" Umbridge demanded, the pleased tone in her voice showing her eagerness that she had won.

,:~:,

Anya winced as she felt the effects of the magic quill as she continued writing. After discovering the DA, Umbridge had Cornelius Fudge come to Hogwarts to expel Professor Dumbledore as Headmaster, saying that the rumors of Dumbledore using the students to seize control of the Ministry. Dumbledore had covered for Harry and when Fudge tried to have his arrested, he had escaped, going into hiding. But now Umbridge was Headmistress of Hogwarts.

And as her first act, she was punishing all the students who had formed the DA with her now favorite brand of punishment.

The hour went by slowly and by the end, everyone's hand that they didn't write with bore the words 'I must not tell lies' etched into the skin. But as strong as their faith, no one had said anything. They merely took their punishment in silence, but not without throwing glares of pure hatred at the hideous pink toad of a witch.

When the detention let out, everyone walked out of the Great Hall in silence. Anya followed Harry out and wasn't surprised to see Cho Chang standing just outside the door. The Asian girl tried to talk to Harry, but the young wizard barely even glanced her way as he walked right past her.

"Harry, please! Just listen!" Cho shouted after his retreating figure.

"Don't you think you've done enough?" Anya growled. If it weren't for the fact that Umbridge was still in the Great Hall and had a clear view of them, Anya would have probably strangled the Ravenclaw student with her bare hands.

"Anya, you have to believe me-" Cho began only to be cut short when Anya raised her hand to stop her.

"Don't bother. I'm sick of hearing your voice already. And besides, why should I? All you ever do is betray people. Harry, the DA… God, I don't know what Cedric ever saw in you!" Anya knew that her words were harsh and cruel, but she wanted to inflict a small ounce of the pain this brat had caused to her friend, and this was the best way she knew how.

"You know, I talked with him a few days before the final task," Anya continued, glad to see that oh so familiar flash on anguish in the Asian girl's eyes. "Said that he was planning on living his life with you. I'm just glad that he's dead. That way, he never had to see just how much of a lying little bitch you really are." And with that and a violent shove in Cho's shoulder, she marched off after Harry.

Unfortunately, she ended up running into someone else.

Anya smacked into a hard chest and nearly fell backwards if it wasn't for a pair of familiar arms that wrapped around her waist, catching her in the fall. Looking up at her 'rescuer', Anya felt her anger increase tenfold when she saw Draco Malfoy's grey eyes looking down at her.

"Let go of me!" she shouted as she fought against his embrace, desperate to get out of it. How dare he look down at her with that sad look in his eyes, as if she was the guilty one? _He _betrayed _her_! Not the other way around. He had no right to make her out to be the bad guy! What did he expect to happen? That she'd _forgive_ _him_? The guy must have been crazier than she thought.

"Anya, listen to me! Please!" the Malfoy heir begged her, refusing to let her go.

"No! I don't want to listen! There's nothing you can say!" she continued yelling. By now, she must have caused some kind of scene. Hopefully, someone would come to investigate and help her.

Her prayers were answered.

"Hey Malfoy!" Both teens looked down the hall to see Fred and George Weasley almost sprinting down the corridor towards them, their faces both masked with a fury that could have anyone cowering in fear.

"This doesn't concern you, Weasleys!" the blonde shot at them.

With his attention on the two older boys, Malfoy didn't have time to block the solid punch that Anya landed on his jaw, nor the swift kick she got between his legs. He released her and she shoved him in the chest, sending him to the ground. She marched over to her 'brothers' when she realized that she was still wearing the ring that Dra- Malfoy had given her only two months ago. She yanked the silver band off her finger and threw it at the ground. "I hate you!" she shouted to him with all the hatred she could gather. And with that, she ran and didn't stop until she reached Gryffindor tower. Barely getting the passowrd out through the on-coming assault of tears, she ducked in through the portrait hole and ran past everyone, ignoring their questions and worried glances as she climbed up the stairs to her room and slammed the door shut behind her, flopping down onto her bed while she cried herself to sleep.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AC: *cries*<strong>_

_**MMM: I'm sorry Anya! But for the future chapters to work, this is how it has to go!**_

_**AC: *cries harder***_

_**MMM: Guys, help me out here!**_

_**HG, RW, & HP: *glares***_

_**MMM: Alright, fine! Don't help me!**_

_**Read and Review! It's the only way to get more chapters!**_

_**Nancy (aka megamatchmaker)**_


	58. Year 5 Ch7

_**MMM: Well, guess who's back again! :3 Me! And I've got another chapter ready for you guys! And I thought I'd let you all know that on the 15 and 16 of April, I've got no school (school days off) so I'll probably be working on more stuff if I don't also post anything new then. Now that most of the hardest exams of my courses are over and done with, I've had a little more of my mind free for writing.**_

_**AC: Well, it's about time!**_

_**MMM: Very funny, Anya.**_

_**VS: And when am I coming back into the story, huh?**_

_**MMM: Soon! Definetely will be making another appearance before the end of the year.**_

_**VS: That's good.**_

_**AC: Yeah! I need my Irish bud back! I've been through some hard times!**_

_**MMM: Not as hard as you're going to go through...**_

_**AC: What?!**_

_**MMM: Trust me, you'll understand what I mean soon.**_

_**DM: And what about me? Why do you keep making me out to be the bad guy?**_

_**AC: Go away Malfoy!**_

_**DM: Anya, please!**_

_**RW & HP: Get away from her, Malfoy!**_

_**MMM: Everyone, that is enough! There are too many people in this author's note! Now Draco, go away before I make it that Harry and Anya get together! *ignores disgusted faces from Anya and Harry***_

_**DM: *walks away quickly***_

_**MMM: *turns to Gryffindors* Now you three, to your places! The chapters about to start! *watches them run off***_

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><p><strong>Ch. 58 Mischief So NOT Managed<strong>

"Harry, come on! You can't keep beating yourself up over this!" Anya insisted as she, Ron, and Hermione hurried after their friend as he walked along the bridge that led off from the direct school grounds. "Seriously! Why are you acting like this? It's not like you planned for this to happen. It just did." She also wanted to say that the only one who deserved to be blamed was Cho Chang for ratting them out to Umbridge, but she held her tongue on it. Harry felt bad enough as it was and the last thing he needed was for Anya to make personal attacks against his first serious girlfriend… even if she was now his ex.

"If there's anyone to blame, it's us," Hermione said. "We pushed you to it."

"Yeah, but I agreed," Harry answered, finally stopping as he looked out at the view of the slowly setting sun.

Anya followed his gaze and she was stunned at just how the world seemed so different just beyond Hogwarts. Even their beloved school was foreign to them now. Anya knew that this was a part of growing up and she hated it. She missed the days of blissful ignorance. Heck, she even missed the days where she'd had a few witty battles against Lucy Heller.

"Besides, I'm tired of playing- I'm tired of caring. It just means that you have more to lose," Harry continued. Anya knew that this was hard on him. He always would take the full burden of whatever failures or attempts they did, never leaving anything for anyone else to help carry.

Harry turned to continue walking, ignoring the shocked and hurt looks that his friends sported. Anya hurried after him, determined to make him see reason, and nearly collided with his back when he stopped again with his own look of shock and confusion. She looked over at what he was staring at and felt her own jaw go slack.

Standing at the end of the bridge, attempting to try to hide behind the gated wall, was Hagrid.

Anya wasn't sure if she wanted to cry with relief or gasp in shock. No one had seen or heard from Hagrid since the end of summer seeing as he had never came back to school for the new year. Anya remembered hearing something at the last Order meeting about something to do with giants, but Mrs. Weasley had stopped short when she realised that one of the 'children' was listening.

But what had happened? What could be seen of Hagrid's face behind his shaggy berd and hair- which was more disheveled than ever- was bruised and cut, scratches running hazardlously down his cheek. Had something with those giants gone wrong? Had someone else done this to Hagrid? There were so many questions and no answers.

When Hagrid realised that he'd finally gotten the attention of the four students, he silently motioned for them to follow. Curious to know what the hell happened to their friend as well as what was so important for them to see, the Golden Quartet followed the half-giant as he led them behind his little cottage home and past the edge of the Forbidden Forest. No one said anything as he led them further and further in.

"Hagrid, what's going on?" Harry asked after a few minutes of the unbearable silence.

Before Hagrid could reply however, the sound of thundering hooves reached the small group's ears and the all looked over in time to see centaurs rushing by, each looking incredibly ticked off at something.

"I've never seen the centaurs this riled up before!" Hagrid stated. "If the Ministry constricts their lands and rights any more, they're going ter have a full blown riot on their hands!"

"Hagrid, would you please tell us exactly what is happening?" Anya asked, very worried about where she was. She hadn't forgotten the last time she'd been in this forest, where she had come this close to being killed by one of the wizarding world's most dangerous wizards. And who could forget the frightening tale Harry and Ron had told about nearly being eatten by the large family of Hagrid's acromantula friend, Aragog, three years ago. If the other creatures that resided here were getting restless, what were the chances that the giant spiders would remain unaffected? From the terrified look on Ron's face, Anya wasn't the only one who was thinking about it.

The half-giant looked back at the four students with him and Anya saw a look of defeat on his normally happy face. "I'm sorry, yer four, for bein' so secretive. I normally wouldn't bother yer. But with Dumbledore gone... I'll... most likely be getting the sack any day now. And I just couldn't leave without tellin' someone about 'im!" Hagrid began crying.

As it turned out, the 'him' that Hagrid was refering to was his little half-brother, Grawp. Well... 'little' by age difference. The top of the roof of Anya's house would barely come up to Grawp's chin. Hagrid had found out about his brother during his search for the other giants in the world in an attempt to persuade them to join Dumbledore's side. According to some of the other giants, Grawp and Hagrid's mother had passed away not long ago, leaving behind her young one with no one.

"He gets his own food and all," Hagrid told them after the little incident with Hermione: being a curious infant giant, Grawp had picked the brunette up suddenly, clearly frightening her judging by the scream of fear she let out. Ron had attempted to get him to let Hermione go, but was only kicked away. Grawp only let Hermione back down when she used her motherly authority on him. Grawp's way of apologizing for his rude behaviour was giving Hermione a little bicycle bell... with the handles still attached to it. "It's company he'll be needing once I'm gone. I'm the only family he's got left."

The four friends agreed. They'd do what the could to help.

,:~:,

Anya sighed once again as she continued playing with the sparkly yo-yo as she leaned up against the stone wall, occasionally doing a funky little trick with the round disk and string.

It was a typical Saturday evening: Ron and Hermione were doing their Prefect duties of patroling- something Anya was surprised to see seeing as Umbridge had more or less giving those duties over to her Inquisitorial Squad- and Anya was waiting for Harry to finish his Occlumency lessons with Snape.

Occlumency- the specialized art of protecting one's mind from any and all magical intrusions and influences. After the last vision-nightmare Harry had back during the Christmas break, Dumbledore had Professor Snape give Harry lessons on how he could protect himself from Voldemort and his mental attacks. Unfortunately, Harry hadn't seem to have mastered it yet even after so many months of practising and Snape had just as much access to Harry's personal memories as the evil wizard had, whether Voldemort knew it or not.

Anya barely was able to catch the toy on its way back up when the door to Snape's office suddenly flew open and Harry practically came running out. "Whoa! Where's the fire?" Anya joked, but truth be told, it looked as if Harry couldn't get out of there fast enough. Anya pushed herself off the wall and all but sprinted to keep up with her friend. "Seriously, what happened?"

"There aren't going to be any more lessons," Harry replied.

"You mean you're an Occulmens now?" Anya asked happily.

"No- I mean there aren't going to be any more lessons. Snape insulted my father and when he tried to spell again, I sent it back at him." The next words that came from Harry's mouth sounded as if he had to force them out. "He tortured him, Anya. My father... he publically humiliated Snape every chance he got. I thought my father was a great man, and now... I don't think I ever knew him at all."

Anya wasn't sure what to say. On one hand, Mr. Potter's humiliating Snape would definitely explain why he had been trying to do everything and anything to bring Harry down ever since day one. Since Harry was the spitting image of his dad as everyone always tells him, Snape could get some kind of satisfactory out of it by imagining that it was James Potter and not his son. But on the other, the memory of Harry's father was now forever tarnished by this.

"Maybe your dad had a good reason for doing what he did back in the day," Anya tried to offer as a reason, but she knew it sounded pathetic. What on earth could Snape possibly of had or done back as a teenager that made James Potter want to bully him constantly? Even the whole Gryffindor/Slytherin rivalry wasn't that bad. It didn't really make any sense.

"But why?" Harry asked. "Why would-"

His question died on his tongue as the walked through the courtyard. For the sound of someone crying had reached their ears. The two teens hurried over to where the sound was coming from and saw Fred and George Weasley comforting a small first year Gryffindor boy. From what they could see of the little boy clutching his hand and hearing the twins talking about how the pain fades, Umbridge had just delivered another of her punishments.

And speaking of the horrible pink bitch, Anya noticed Umbridge standing at the other end of the corridor, acting as if she was queen of the world. "As I said before Mr. Potter," she addressed the group, "naughty little children deserve to be punished." And with that, she continued on her way, those stupid high heels of hers clicking down the empty corridors.

"You know," Fred spoke up once Umbridge was out of earshot as Anya took the youngest Gryffindor in her arms to try and soothe him. "I've always believed that our futures lied outside of the educational world. Wouldn't you agree, George?"

"Freddy boy, I was thinking the exact same thing," his twin replied.

"Count me in," Anya added, staring at the back of the most hated witch in the school. "No more Mr. Nice Guy. Gentlemen, I say it's time to cause a little mischief and mayhem."

,:~:,

Monday came all too quickly and Anya, along with her friends and most of the other fifth year students, found themselves in the Great Hall taking their History of Charms OWLs. Anya had already finished the exam and was now waiting in the wings, pretending that she was still working on it. Occasionally, she'd glance up from the paper to make sure that Umbridge was still in her seat up in front. After all, this big performance was in her _honor_.

Anya glanced down at her watch. _'Two minutes to go. Come on boys, don't fail me now,'_ she thought as the seconds ticked down. Timing had to be perfect.

As soon as the minute hand hit 2:30 pm, there was the planned knock on the door. Anya had to bite her lip to the point of bleeding to keep from smiling as she watch Umbridge quickly become annoyed by the noise. Everyone's eyes followed the plump witch in pink as she strutted down between the desks towards the doors where the knocking was coming from. Umbridge opened the doors and as Anya expected, she was met with nothing.

But not for long.

The horrible pink witch was nearly bowled over by the Weasley twins as they came bursting into the room on their new Nimbus 2000 broomsticks- paid and express-mailed by Anya's parents and smuggled in by a few friends in the postal office. Everyone cheered as Fred and George began using their magic to create their usual fun: small magic fireworks, papers flying everywhere, and laughter. Anya laughed when she saw one of the mini fireworks go after Goyle, almost biting him in the butt as he ran away, while another went after Malfoy, imprinting the image of his fearful face in the wall when he ducked the attack.

Anya saw Umbridge march back into the room and when the woman noticed her, the American witch winked once before she lifted her hand just as Fred came flying by, grabbed her hand, and literally hauled her out of her seat.

"Ready Anya?" the redhead asked as he pulled her up on the back of the broom.

"Damn straight!" Anya smirked back, yanking off her out robes to reveal her t-shirt that read 'Deal With It!' and jeans. She then stood up on the wooden frame and jumped off, catching her own broom that George had brought with them and joining in the havoc.

"Let's light it then!" George laughed as he tossed her another firework. Anya smirked again as she pulled out a lighter from her pocket and lit the wick before tossing it into the air and flying out of the way.

When the firework exploded, the millions of brilliant sparks took the form of a massive dragon, its empty eyes locking onto its target- Umbridge. It chased her fat form back towards the doors as she attempted to get away, but the dragon was just too fast. Its jaw opened up as it gained on her and when she was in reach, it bit down.

Sparks went off everywhere, filling the entrance way with lights of all colors and loud noises, blasting through the glass of the framed rules and regulations she had pinned to the wall just outside the door. When they died down and the smoke cleared, Anya saw Umbridge standing in the doorway, disheveled and covered in soot, smoke coming out from her hair. The witch stood there stunned before she jumped as the empty frames dropped from their spots on the wall and crashed all around her.

Fred and George blasted past the joke of a witch, quickly followed by all the fifth years students in the hall. "And _that's_ how you do it!" Anya shouted as she flew past to join everyone outside. She jumped off her broom in mid-air and watched with the rest of the student body as Fred and George made their big finale: a firework display of a great big 'W' in the sky. Anya chuckled when she saw Professor Flitwick give a small fist pump of triumph.

But the joyful feeling was soon gone.

Anya looked back to her friends to see Harry staring off into space. She was barely able to get over to his side in time to try and break his fall when he stumbled back. Pain and fear flashed in his green eyes and Anya had never felt more scared for her friend. She had heard Ron and Hermione talk about how Harry would sometimes have these daydream nightmare-visions, but she'd never actually seen it with her own eyes.

Hermione and Ron finally noticed that their friends were on the cobble-stone ground and they rushed over to see what was the matter. By then, Harry had seem to have snapped out of his vision and was shaking from head to toe. "Sirius," he muttered and Anya felt her blood turn to ice in her veins. This was not good.

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><p><em><strong>AC: Holy crap! What just happened?<strong>_

_**MMM: You'll find out soon!**_

_**Don't forget to review people! Like smiles, they're free so give them away! Please?**_

_**Nancy (aka megamatchmaker)**_


	59. Year 5 Ch8

_**MMM: Who here hates being sick? Raise your hand. *raises own hand* Yeah, I've got the flu- again! And I hate it with a passion. Abs are sore from trying to surpress the coughing, throat's aching from trying to not throw up, and now, I've got a headache. So what better way to distract myself from how crappy I feel by posting another chapter? Hopefully, you guys will be nice enough to send me a few reviews. *blows nose***_

_**AC: Need anything?**_

_**MMM: New stomach, new throat, new head... More kleenex, some water... oh! And maybe a barf bag?**_

_**AC: Ew.**_

_**MMM: I told you I feel like shit.**_

_**AC: So you feel lumpy and smell terrible?**_

_**MMM: ... OK, maybe not 'like shit', but I sure as hell don't feel good! *starts another coughing fit***_

_**AC: OK,OK! Don't bite my head off!**_

_**MMM: Sorry... Anyway, on with the chapter!**_

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><p><strong>Ch. 59 JAILBREAK!<strong>

Anya and the others hurried after Harry as he ran up the stairs as fast as he could. According to the vision, Voldemort had captured Sirius and was torturing him to get the information that he wanted about something... the very same something Mr. Weasley had been protecting the night he was nearly killed.

"Harry, we need to think this through!" Hermione insisted but Harry said nothing. It was like talking to a brick wall and Anya couldn't blame him. Sirius was the only person left in Harry's life that he could actually call family and was currently in the presence of a very sick, twisted wizard that would torture and very well kill him if he didn't give in. Anya knew that if any of her loved ones were in that same situation, she wouldn't think twice about it either. But Hermione was right- they had to at least have _some_ kind of plan.

"Hermione's right, mate," Ron spoke up. "What if You-Know-Who is just doing this to get to you?"

"So what?" Harry shot back. "I'm just suppose to let Sirius die? He's the only family I have left."

The other three Gryffindors looked between themselves and when they looked back at Harry, determination flashed in all of their eyes. "Looks like we've got ourselves a jailbreak to plan," Anya smirked. With a nod from the others, they continued running up to Gryffindor tower. Anya waited downstairs while Harry, Ron, and Hermione ran up to their rooms to get their wands and quickly change.

They had to be extra careful, sneaking through the castle up to Umbridge's office. After all, Anya and the twins had just literally destroyed every one of the pink toad's rules and she was probably now on a war path. The second she realized they had sneaked into her office to use the fireplace to get out of the school, she'd be spitting mad.

"Contact the order and tell them what's happened," Harry instructed his friends once they got into the room, rushing over to the fireplace and throwing a handful of Floo Powder into the fireplace. It was the only one in the school not under heavy security and therefore the only one they could escape by without being followed.

"Harry, what are you talking about?" Anya asked. "Do you seriously think that we'd leave you to go on your own?"

"It's too dangerous!" Harry insisted.

Hermione huffed as she grabbed onto his shoulder, stopping him from jumping into the green flames. "When are you going to understand? We're in this together!" she told him.

"_That you are!_" The four friends jumped out of their skin and whirled around to see Umbridge standing at the doorway with a few of her Inquisitorial Squad members flanked behind her.

"_Expelliarmus!_" Anya shouted, firing the spell at the older witch, but Umbridge sent it right back and Anya got hit head on with it. Her head smacked painfully against the stone wall behind her when she was sent flying backwards. Black spots darted into her line of vision and she shook her head to clear it.

"Get them!" Umbridge shouted. The hit on the head left Anya too dissoriented to fight back and she was soon held down, her wand in the hands of Pansy Parkinson.

"Hey, lay off the on the grip, pal!" Anya growled at the Slytherin holding onto her by the collar of her shirt.

"Shut your mouth, Mudblood!" he growled back, giving her a violent shake.

"Leave her alone!" Ron shouted from where he was been held hostage.

"Why don't you worry about yourself, Blood-traitor!" Pansy smirked.

Anya saw red.

Before anyone could have a chance to react, Anya swung her foot up high, effectively catching the Slytherin girl by surprise and kicking her hard in the jaw. Anya was sure that she heard the bone snap as it broke. "Talk to him like that again and I'll do worse than that, bitch!" she snarled.

"That's enough!" Umbridge yelled, but that didn't stop Pansy from punching Anya in the face... well, it was more of a slap than an actual punch. The pathetic boney excuse of a girl couldn't hit to save her life.

But Anya was sneaky, of course. Pretending that the 'punch' was more powerful than it actually was, she used her past acting classes by letting herself fall to the floor as if she had been knocked unconcious, eyes closed almost completely. She left them open only a crack to keep an eye on the idiot that had been holding her up to see if he tried anything. She then carefully and slowly reached into her pocket and pulled out her DA coin and brought it up to her lips. "SOS, Umbridge's office. Hurry," she whispered to the coin, hoping that someone from the DA still had their coin on them and had heard her cry for help.

,:~:,

And it turned out that someone was listening... actually, three someones; Luna Lovegood, Ginny Weasley, and Neville Longbottom. Unfortunately though, the three rescuers were caught too.

"Caught this one trying to help the Weasley girl." Anya, who was now standing up again after 'coming to', looked up to see Neville being shoved into the room by none other than Malfoy. The blonde looked in her direction and she noticed how his grey eyes became wide with surprise. "Anya? What are you doing here?"

"The stupid Mudblood and her pathetic friends were trying to escape," Pansy smirked only to wince at the pain that flashed through her jaw when she talked. She then continued applying more of her compact powder to the large black and blue bruise on her face, not that it helped hide the injury at all.

Anya ignored the 'worried' eyes that watched her and turned her own to where Umbridge had forced Harry to sit down.

"You were going to Dumbledore, weren't you?" Umbridge asked the young wizard. But when he told her no, she slapped him hard across the face, spitting out 'Liar.'

"Back off, Barbie-Wannabe!" Anya shouted at the woman as she tried to fight off the big lug that was holding her back.

Whether Umbridge heard her or not, the attention was brought onto the Potions master when he walked into the room. "You wanted to see me, Headmistress?" Maybe it was just Anya's imagination, but Snape sounded even more annoyed having to call the woman by her title.

"Yes, Severus. The time has come for answers, whether he wants to give them to me or not," Umbridge stated, standing straight as she tried to compose herself, which would be quite the stretch for a woman covered in soot and crazy hair. "Have you brought the veritaserum?" she asked.

"I'm afraid you have used up all of my stores- the last of it on Ms. Chang," Snape replied in his deary way. Anya felt a block of ice form in the pit of her stomach when she remembered the cruel words she had said to the Asian girl. Judging by the looks on her friends' faces, they felt just as bad. "So unless you wish to poison him- and I assure you, I'd have the greatest sympathy if you did- I cannot help." With that, he turned to leave.

"He's got Padfoot!" Harry yelled at the retreating professor's back. "He's got Padfoot in the place where it's hidden," he continued in code. Snape was a part of the Order and he would know what Harry was talking about.

Of course, Umbridge had no clue what he was saying and she wasn't pleased. "What is Padfoot? Where what is hidden? What is he talking about?" she demanded to know.

Snape looked back and for a moment, Anya felt her heart stop with fear. What if he squealed? They'd be toast! But she calmed down momentarily when he shook his head and replied with "No idea," before continuing out the door.

Umbridge looked ready to curse. "Very well then." Anya was confused. Why did she sound so calm? "Seeing as this is of Ministry business, you leave with... no choice. The Cruciatus Curse ought to loosen your tongue."

"That's illegal!" Hermione exclaimed, trying to fight off her captor just as Ron and Anya were.

"What Cornelius won't know, won't hurt him," Umbridge replied calmly as she picked up her wand. She then turned to stare Harry down, thinking that he would cave before she cast the spell, but he couldn't. What she wanted to hear was a lie! Couldn't she figure that out yet?

"Tell her, Harry!" Hermione suddenly shouted just as Umbridge opened her mouth, effectively stopping her from performing the Unforgivable curse.

"Tell me what?" Umbridge demanded, not moving her wand away.

"Well if you won't tell her where it's hidden, then I will," Hermione continued.

"Where what is hidden?" the pink toad demanded again.

Hermione closed her eyes as if it pained her to admit this. Anya recognized it as the brunette's signal to follow her lead. "Dumbledore's secret weapon."

"Hermione, don't!" Anya exclaimed, trying to push towards her friend as if to stop her. Ron was too confused to understand, as well as everyone else in the room. Meanwhile, Umbridge looked as if she had just won the jackpot.

"Very well then," she smirked as she stood straight again. "You two," she pointed to Harry and Hermione, "come with me." She then turned to her Squad. "Keep an eye on them." And with her wand pointing at their backs, she led Harry and Hermione out the door to wherever Hermione was 'leading' her to.

"Don't try anything funny, Mudblood," Pansy snarled at the American witch as she slumped into a chair, her beady little eyes trained on her. Anya rolled her violet eyes at the sheer stupidity the Slytherin girl possessed. If Anya tried anything, there wasn't a force in the world powerful enough to stop her, let alone a pathetic witch like Parkinson.

A few minutes passed before Ron let out a groan, clutching at his stomach as he sunk to his knees. Elbowing her captor in the gut to get him to let go, Anya rushed over to her friend's side. "Ron? Ron! Are you alright?" she asked.

"I feel really sick and weak," Ron moaned pathetically. "I think it's my low blood sugar." Now it was Anya's turn to be confused. Since when did Ron have blood sugar problems? The boy ate like it was going out of style every day! "Do you have any of those sweets left?" he asked.

"Huh?" _'That sounded real classy, Collins. Way to go,'_ she thought to herself. _'You'll be a healer yet.'_

"The sweets Fred and George bought," Ron elaborated before letting out another groan.

"I have some, Ronald," Ginny said as she pushed her way past the Slytherins to her brother's side. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a handful of the colorful sweets her twin brothers had been making- Puking Pastilles. Anya noticed that the candies in the redhead's hand were some of the defective first tries the boys had made: ones where they hadn't made antidotes for and figured the effects would just wear off after a few minutes. The last person she'd seen try one passed out in his own puke, he had been so sick.

"Shove off," Goyle growled as he grabbed the sweets from Ginny with a vicious grin before passing them out to the other Slytherins. Malfoy didn't take one and Parkinson whined about 'too many calories' and other junk.

"Hey! You could at least say 'please'!" Anya huffed.

Goyle turned and grinned. "Please," he mocked her before stuffing the whole candy in his fat mouth like the rest of the group.

The effects were instant.

The sound of several people barfing was barely heard over the high pitched voice of Pansy as she shrieked about how disgusting this was, getting up from the chair and pushing herself into the wall to get away from the vomit. While her fellow Squad members were doubled over in vomitting, Ron, who had only been acting sick, quickly snatched their wands back from the Slytherins while Anya vaulted over the desk to Pansy, sending a powerful punch right into the other girl's gut. "Haven't you realized by now?" she hissed into the Slytherin's ear as she doubled over in pain. "_Never_ mess with me, bitch!" Grabbing her by the greasy hair, Anya pulled Pansy to stand straight again only to send another punch her way, this time into her jaw. The pureblood fell to the floor, her hair dragging into the puke on the ground as she passed out like the others, and Anya snatched her wand up.

When Anya turned around to lead the group out the door, she noticed Malfoy standing there. He wasn't threatening her with a wand, he wasn't trying to stop her. He just gave her a wounded look, his grey eyes begging for her to listen or to at least give him some kind of chance to explain. For a moment, Anya felt the walls she had built against him crack, but only for a moment.

The next thing she knew, Ron had pushed past her and had delivered a solid punch to the Malfoy heir's nose. "Stay away from her," he growled before grabbing Anya by her hand and leading her out the door, Neville, Luna, and Ginny right behind them.

"Where do we go now?" Neville asked.

"Hold on a sec," Anya replied. Muttering a quick spell, she summoned the power to follow where her friends had gone. The slender piece of ash wood levitated above her hand and began spinning around and around until it suddenly stopped, pointing into the direction of the Forbidden Forest.

"Grawp," she breathed, realizing what Hermione had been planning. "Way to go, Hermione!" she cheered. "Come on!" she ordered to the others and began running to the Forest.

As the five students rushed across the bridge, they spotted Hermione and Harry at the other end, running towards them. "How did you escape?" Hermione asked.

"Puking Pastilles," Anya grinned. "Was Ron's idea." She looked back at her friend to see his ears becoming pink before turning back to the brunette. "What about you? How'd you get away from Umbridge?"

"It's a long story," Harry cut in.

Anya nodded. "You're right. We'll talk about it later. Right now, we have to go save Sirius."

Harry stopped in his tracks and looked at her in surprise. "What do you mean 'we'? Didn't I say before that it's too dangerous?" he questioned.

"And didn't you hear Hermione before?" Anya shot back. "You can say 'no' as often as you like- we're going with you, Harry. Friends don't leave friends behind. Get use to it- you're stuck with us whether you like it or not," she ended with her signature look that dared him to argue.

Luckily for Harry, he was smart enough to not do so. "So how do you suppose we all get to London, then?" Anya was stumped on that one. How could you get seven underage wizards to London together?

It was Luna's turn to speak up. "We fly, of course," she replied in her dreamy-like voice.

,:~:,

"So let me see if I get this right," Anya began, her voice laced with uncertainty. "You're telling me that we're going to fly to London on some magical creature that no one can see unless they've seen death?" she finished, looking warily at the empty space before her. Although she was never one to really question the magical world... much, she was seriously debating this.

"That's right," Luna replied as if it were as perfectly normal as breathing.

"Well, I like animals as much as the next girl, but I have to say that I really have issues about not being able to actually-" Anya began to say, but she was cut off when she felt something grab her by the back of her shirt and toss her up into the air. She let out a shriek of fear as she spun in mid-air before land-straddling something. She opened her eyes to see that she was sitting in _mid-air_. She could feel the boney structure of the 'Thestral' underneath her, but she couldn't see it. Looking around her, she saw everyone else sort of hanging in mid-air like her.

And with a shout from Harry, everyone started taking off. Figuring that it was like riding a horse, Anya gently nudged the Thestral in the sides with her heels and she let out another squeak of fear as it took off, wrapping her arms around what she figured was its neck.

"I'm gonna kill you for this, Harry!" she shouted to her friend as they flew high into the sky. Flying on brooms was fine and Anya enjoyed the one time she had flown on Buckbeak's back, but for her to be able to actually see directly down and through the animal she was currently riding was too terrifying for her.

London couldn't arrive any sooner.

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><p><em><strong>AC: Why should I kill Harry? You're the one that made me ride that thing!<strong>_

_**MMM: Hey, give me a break! I'm sick!**_

_**AC: Yeah- sick in the head!**_

_**HP: Will you both stop this? *watches author curl up in bed and friend stomp off* Sorry about that. Anyway, don't forget to leave a review, ladies and gentlemen.**_

_**DM: Did she have to break my nose?**_

_**MMM: *laughs weakly* Technically, it was Ron that broke it, not me.**_

_**DM: *clutches bleeding nose***_

_**MMM: See you!**_

_**Nancy (aka megamatchmaker)**_


	60. Year 5 Ch9

_**MMM: Hey again! Well, here's another chapter ready for your approval, my wonderfully patient readers! We're getting to the end of Year 5 now, and you know what that means!**_

_**Golden Quartet: What?**_

_**MMM: You guys can't know yet. It's only happening now for you. The readers know though, if they've watch the movies or read the books. Anyway readers, how about we just move along to the actual story part of this update, shall we?**_

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><p><strong>Ch. 60 Showdown Part 1<strong>

When they landed in a deserted alleyway near the hidden entrance to the Ministry of Magic, Anya was quick to jump off the back of her Thestral, her legs almost giving out underneath her at the relief of being back on solid ground again. She even had to fight the urge to kiss the ground beneath her feet. "I am _so_ never doing that_ again_!" she groaned.

"Ditto," Ron mumbled, his skin slightly tinged green. The trip was clearly as hard on him as it was on her.

"Come on!" Harry ordered, leading them all to the entrance.

As if it weren't weird enough to see seven teenagers running through the streets of London so late at night, having them all crammed in to one tiny phone booth at the same time was just as bizarre. No one said anything as they followed Harry through the empty passages of the Ministry to the elevators. Anya's claustrophobia was kicking into overdrive with the constant change of enclosed spaces and she had nearly crushed Ron's hand when he offered it in a way of comforting her.

After what seemed to take forever, they finally arrived at the level to the Department of Mysteries, as the recorded voice announced. The hallway was dark and gloomy and Anya felt a chill run up and down her spine. She felt as if they weren't alone, but there was no other source of life other than their little group. The place was deserted.

When they opened the door at the end of the hall, they were faced with an endless room filled with shelves that went up so high, they just disappeared into the darkness. And on these shelves were crystal balls.

"There has to be millions of these," Anya commented. "How are we going to find Sirius in this place?"

But Harry seemed to know exactly where he was going. He raced through the room, muttering to himself the number on each shelf he passed. Eventually, he seemed to have found the one he was looking for, but there was nothing there. No Death Eaters, no Voldemort... no Sirius.

"He should be right here!" Harry exclaimed, the worry for his godfather clear in his voice. "Where is he?"

"Harry..." Neville spoke up for the first time since they'd left the school. He raised his wand, casting a light glow on one of the shelves he was looking at. "It's got your name on it."

Anya followed closely behind her friend and saw that attached to one of the small orbs was in fact a small tag that read _'SPT to APWBD, Dark Lord & __(?)__ Harry Potter'_. But what did it mean?

Anya watched as Harry carefully reached out and plucked the orb from its stand, pale blue smoke whirling around inside. She noticed how Harry's eyes seemed to glaze over as he fell into some kind of trance. At one moment, she was sure that she had heard some kind of whispering coming from the orb, but she couldn't make any of the words out. "Harry... Harry, snap out of it," she pleaded, gently shaking his shoulder.

Harry snapped out of the trance. "Sorry, what was that?"

But before Anya could say anything else, a sudden sound from the other end of the shelf caught everyone's attention.

They weren't alone after all.

A tall figure in black robes stepped into the light and Anya quivered with fear. Images of two summers ago flashed through her mind: camp sites going up in flames as terrified screams rang out through the night. The Death Eaters had caused so much damage that day and that had only been before their leader had come back from the dead. Anya could only imagine just how bad they'd really be now that he was back.

The group of teenagers huddled close to one another, wands raised in defense. "Where's Sirius?" Harry demanded, the glass orb still clutched tightly in his hand.

The figure reached to the handle of the long black walking stick in its grasp... a walking stick with a _silver snake head_. Anya felt her heart stop when she realized who the mystery person was. She snapped out her stupor to hear him talk. "...Never knowing the difference from illusions and reality," Lucius smirked, waving his wand in front of his face to make the mask disappear. "You only saw what the Dark Lord _wanted_ you to see." His grey eyes became colder. "Now hand over the prophecy."

"If you do anything to us, I'll break it!" Harry threatened.

A high, maniacal laugh sounded through the room and the group watched as another figure stepped out of the shadows, this one being a woman.

Anya had never seen someone that mentally unstable. Long black hair hung on her head in a mess of untamable, tangled curls. Thin lips were smiling sinisterly on the gaunt, skull-like face with incredibly dark eyes resting above them. Those eyes made Anya feel as if she had been skinned alive and dunked into a bath of salt water. They were so disturbingly crazed to a point where Anya turned away from them for fear that if she looked too long, they would burn her alive.

Anya had heard of this woman before. Pictures had been on the cover of the _Daily Prophet _for weeks, articles reading about how the infamous Bellatrix Lestrange, along with several other Death Eaters, had been released from Azkaban prison. And she also had seen that name before, during the summer at Sirius' house.

_Flashback_

_ Anya had been walking through Grimmauld Place when she walked into one of the rooms that caught her eye. The walls were covered in fabric that seemed to have faded with the time, but she could still make out the intricate design of tree branches and faces with names underneath them._

_ "I see you found the Black family tree," a voice said from the doorway. Anya turned to see Sirius standing there in one of his better outfits._

_ "Lot of family history here," he continued as he stepped into the room. He pointed to a few names and gave short stories about them all. When he got to one in particular, Anya was shocked._

_ Right where Sirius' name was on the wall was a large black burn mark._

_ "My mother did that after I ran away," Sirius said, watching as Anya reached out and ran a finger over the mark. "Thought I wasn't worthy of the Black family name, being friends with muggleborns."_

_ "But why?" Anya asked. How could anyone be so heartless that a woman would say such a thing about her own son?_

_ "You have to understand that the Black family has been nothing but purebloods for many generations," Sirius explained. "For one of us to willingly associate with someone of muggle blood was like a slap in the face._

_ "Now this is one my mother was really proud of," Sirius continued, pointing to a picture of a beautiful woman with long black hair and dark eyes. The woman's portrait held a look of regal bearing to it, as if she oozed of the perfectly charmed life. "Bellatrix Lestrange, my deranged cousin."_

_End Flashback_

Anya snapped out of the past and noticed how Lucius had gotten even closer to their group. Looking around, she saw that they were surrounded by other Death Eaters, each one tall and menacing in black robes and masks.

"Suppose I could wait a bit longer," Harry answered to something before leaning back. "Now! _Stupefy!_"

Seven stunning charms shot out as Anya and the others began the fight. The older wizards apparated out of the way and they made a break for it.

"Split up! We'll meet back at the door!" Anya shouted to the others before going off with Ginny in one direction.

One of the Death Eaters appeared at her side as she ran, grabbing onto her sleeve. Anya yelled as she tried to fight him off but his grip was too strong. So the second she passed another corridor, she cast 'Expelliarmus' and sent him flying back, tearing her sleeve from the shoulder completely. "Damn," she muttered. She looked back to see Luna cast 'Levicorpus' on another Death Eater, sending him up into the darkness of the ceiling.

"You ok, Luna?" Anya asked when she noticed a small bit of blood dripping from the corner of the blonde's mouth.

"I'm alright," Luna replied in her usual way.

Anya shook her head. This was going to be interesting.

,:~:,

Death.

That was the only thing Anya could think of as she and the others plummetted to the ground. After barely avoiding the strange blue light from the destroyed prophecies- something caused by Ginny's famous strength from the Reducto spell she cast at a Death Eater, ran through the door they came into only to find themselves falling faster and faster.

And then suddenly, they just stopped. Magic held them suspended in the air only inches from the ground before letting them go again to let them land in the dirt. Anya spat out a mouthful of earth as she picked herself up.

"Department of Mysteries is right," Ron muttered as they surveyed their new surroundings: a large circular room with ceilings that led up to nowhere and the crumbling remains of architecture that had once stood there. The only thing that really remained was an empty archway.

"Get behind me!" Harry ordered, taking a stand in front of the archway. The others quickly climbed up to stand behind him, each holding their wand up in defense once again.

Suddenly, black smoke enveloped them all with arms reaching out of it to grab at them. Anya fought off the hands as best as she could with her vision impaired, but she was no match. Without the chance to even scream, she felt herself being lifted off the ground and pulled back, her wand being wrestled out of her grip. When she was yanked out of the smoke, she saw that everyone else except Harry had been taken hostage too by a Death Eater.

The smoke finally cleared and Anya watched as Harry got up from the ground, the prophecy still clutched tight in his hand. She saw how his eyes scanned the room to see how all his friends had been taken hostage and she saw the worry and fear flash in his green orbs.

Lucius appeared before him and began to brag about how silly little children could never defeat the followers of the Dark Lord. Even with a wand at her throat and being threatened with death, the American witch rolled her eyes at the stupidity she was witnessing. Voldemort was defeated once and he was going to be defeated again. It was as simple as that.

"Don't give it to him, Harry!" Neville yelled when Lucius threatened the Boy Who Lived with killing them if he didn't hand over the prophecy. Bellatrix shushed Neville like a babe with her wand digging deeper into his neck.

"Kiss my ass, Malfoy!" Anya shouted at the older wizard, only to end with a whimper when the Death Eater behind her switched his grip from her shirt to her hair and gave it a hard yank.

"Mind your tongue, wench," he smirked in her ear. Anya cringed away at the horrific smell of booze and cigarettes on the guy's breath.

_'Ever heard of toothpaste and mouthwash?' _she thought to herself. When she opened her eyes, she was him looking down at her with a wicked smile of yellow, crooked teeth. _'Guess not.'_

Anya looked back at Harry to see him reluctantly hand over the crystal ball. Although a part of her was flattered that he would rather let Voldemort win than see any of his friends get hurt, she couldn't believe that he was stupid enough to do that. Even with his back to her, Anya could tell that Lucius was gloating with triumph. What triumph when you have to blackmail someone with other people's lives to get what you want?

But then suddenly, a white mist appeared behind Lucius and none other than Sirius Black stepped out from it. Anya watched as Lucius turned around just as Sirius swung back his arm and punched him right in the face.

Then everything was back in motion. More white mists appeared as other members of the Order appeared in the room, quickly casting spells as the Death Eaters to fend them off. Anya noticed Remus aim for the one behind her and she bent even lower seconds before the spell knocked the Death Eater off his feet, forcing him to let go.

"Come on!" Anya heard someone shout as they grabbed her by the hand. She snatched up her wand and quickly followed Tonks down the hill to where the other students were being kept safe.

Anya heard cackling and looked up to see a dark cloud flying through the air above them. Moody, who was standing guard over the children, made a move to go after her but was stopped by Tonks. "No... I'll take care of my aunt."

"Your aunt?!" Anya asked in shock but was never answered as Tonks flew off after the crazed witch now known as her aunt.

Anya turned on her heel to peek over the boulder she was hiding behind to see Sirius and Harry taking on Lucius together. When Harry disarmed him, Anya could hear Sirius shout out "Nice one James!" as if he was working alongside his old friend once more. Then Sirius cast one more spell that sent the other wizard flying back.

But what Anya saw next made her heart stop.

It was if time had slowed to a crawl and all the sound in the world had vanished after Bellatrix, who had somehow shook Tonks off her tail, shouted the words _"Avada Kedavra!"_ The green light shot out from her wand and cut through the air as it made its way to Sirius. The curse hit him full on and Anya watched through teary eyes as he fell backwards through the empty archway and just faded away 'til there was no sign of him.

Anya didn't even think about the danger she was walking into. Ignoring the warning cries of her friends, she jumped over the boulder and ran towards where the man who had almost become like another father to her had just been standing. Tonks appeared behind her and tried to hold her back, but the auburn haired girl put up a fight, crying out "No!" over and over again just as Harry was doing in Remus' arms.

"He can't be gone," Anya cried out, slumping in Tonks' arms with grief. "He can't!"

"It'll be alright," Tonks kept repeating in her ear, tears pricking at her own eyes. The only family she had left now were people that she was fighting against in this wizard battle.

Anya heard a loud growl of anger and blinked away her tears to see Harry rip himself away from Remus and run towards a door... the one where Bellatrix had just escaped through.

"Oh no!" Anya whispered. She knew what Harry was about to do and she couldn't let it happen. She couldn't let her friend become a murderer.

Shaking off Tonks' arms around her, she raced after her friend, praying to any higher power that was listening that she wouldn't be too late.

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><p><em><strong>AC: You killed Sirius?!<strong>_

_**MMM: No I didn't! JK Rowling did!**_

_**AC: But this is your story now! Why didn't you pull that creative license crap and make it that he lived?!**_

_**MMM: Because then that would change the story completely! I can't do that! Besides, I kept most of the events in the past exactly the same- apart from adding you into it, Anya.**_

_**AC: But you **_**killed_ Sirius!_**

**_MMM: I'm sorry! Do you think I liked writing that part? First time I read the book, I nearly threw up! Sirius didn't deserve it!_**

**_Please read and review!_**

**_Nancy (aka megamatchmaker)_**


	61. Year 5 Ch10

_**MMM: Hello everyone! Well, I've got part 2 of the showdown for you!**_

_**AC: About time!**_

_**MMM: Very amusing Anya...**_

_**AC: Not to me! The last thing you had me do was run after Harry and I haven't stopped since!**_

_**MMM: Why?**_

_**AC: *blinks* I... don't really know.**_

_**MMM: Right... Anyway, on with the show!**_

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><p><strong>Ch. 61 Showdown Part 2 <strong>

Anya ran as if her very life depended on it. Harry couldn' kill Bellatrix- he'd be no better than her.

She found them over by the majestic fountain that they had arrived by only hours ago. Bellatrix was sprawled out on the floor, small whimpers of fear escaping her lips as she trembled. Harry was standing over her, his wand pointed at her heart and fury flashing in his eyes.

Anya ran faster towards them, opening her mouth to tell Harry not to do it.

_**'But why not?'**_a voice whispered in the back of Anya's mind, causing her to stop in her tracks. _**'Why not kill the bitch? She deserves it- she killed Sirius!'**_

_'Because Harry's better than that!' _Anya found herself arguing with in her own mind. _'He knows that if he kills her, he'll be just as much of a monster as she is!'_

_ '__**So he should just let her go free?' **_the voice whispered again. _**'Where is the justice in that?! She doesn't deserve to live after what she has done!'**_

_ 'But that's not who Harry is!' _Anya wanted to shout out. _'His parents wanted him to have grown up knowing right from wrong, and-'_

_** 'But Harry's parents are dead!' **_the voice continued._**'And if he lets her go, what's to stop her from killing again? It could be someone else's godfather she kills next, or their real father! What if she goes after muggles? What's to say that she wouldn't go further than this part of the world? She could go after **_**your**_** mother and father next!'**_

That thought made Anya's blood run cold. The voice had a point- what was to stop Bellatrix from going to the States and start attacking people there? She was a witch with no morals of right or wrong- she wouldn't care.

Suddenly, there was a part of Anya that didn't want Harry to kill Bellatrix, but for Anya to do it _herself_. The image of the bodies of her parents lying on the floor sent a flash of anger and hatred coursing through her veins. Then more images flashed through her thoughts, ones where it was her Auntie Joy or little Cathy's body on the ground with lifeless eyes.

What would it hurt, performing that spell just once? Bellatrix had done it countless of times just for the sheer pleasure of it. Using it just once to protect those Anya cared for- to avenge all those lives Bellatrix had destroyed- would justify. And shouldn't Bellatrix suffer first? Shouldn't she know the kind of pain that she inflicted on so many innocent people? The other two Unforgivable curses began to float around in her mind. The spells were easy enough. All it would take would be to utter those words and then-

But then Anya realized what she was thinking and her violet eyes grew wide with shock. What on earth was happening?!

_ 'I didn't have any control over my emotions,' _Anya thought to herself as she shook her head to clear the images of herself standing over Bellatrix, a sinister smile on her face with her wand in one hand and a bloody dagger in the other. _'It was like someone was trying to... control my thoughts.'_

"Harry, don't!" Anya screamed out to her friend, noticing the form of Voldemort appearing behind her friend. She ran at the dark wizard, ready to do whatever it took to stop him from hurting her friend. But it seemed that he knew she was there because he turned to stare at her and with a wave of his arm, sent her flying back into the wall of a fireplace nearby.

"Anya!" she heard Harry shout through the foggy haze of her mind. She reached up to touch her head and felt the familiar sticky fluid of blood slowly oozing from the back of her head. "You bastard!" She heard charging feet and a furious yell before the sounds were cut off and another body flew into the wall beside her.

"So weak!" Voldemort chuckled and Anya saw the fuzzy image of a white figure in black robes walk towards them. She felt Harry grab her by the hand and push her behind him. Was this really how it was going to end? Just like that?

_'Mom, Dad... I love you,'_ she thought to herself, clenching her eyes shut and waiting for the end.

Suddenly, green light and the sound of fire reached Anya's senses and she opened her eyes to properly see Dumbledore stepping out from the fireplace across from them and closer towards the other wizard. "It was foolish of you to come here tonight Tom," he told the dark wizard. "The Aurors are on their way."

"By which time, I'll shall be gone," Voldemort was quick to reply, taking a few steps back. "And you... shall be dead."

And the fight began.

Dumbledore and Voldemort fought each other with equal amount of strengths. Voldemort tried to distract his foe by sending dangerous sparks of electricity at the two young ones that were still huddled in the corner, but he couldn't aim properly and still fend off the attacks coming at him. The volts hit the stone wall around them and Harry used his body to shield Anya's from the falling debris. Then there was a giant snake made of fire that Dumbledore had to fend off as it kept lunging at them, snapping its fiery teeth. Dumbeldore broke the other wizard's concentration on the fire by trying to drown him in a giant ball of the water from the fountain, but Voldemort escaped that too.

"Come on, we have to help him!" Anya shouted over the sounds of the battle to Harry. The two friends got up to help their headmaster but were thrown back to the ground when the entire ministry started to shake violently from Voldemort's next attack.

All the windows in the place broke under the sheer pressure of the dark magic that flooded the building, shredding the large banner picture of the minister that hung in the room. The gold statues that stood in the fountain crumbled and fell, shattering the ring they sat in and causing the water to spill onto the floor.

Voldemort raised his arms over his head and the thousands of shards of deadly glass followed his commands and shot towards Dumbledore and the two teens. The older wizard raised his wand in time to form a shield of sorts that when the glass fragments flew through it, they instantly turned into a less lethal dust that covered every square inch of the ground.

And then the weird thing was that Voldemort just stopped. It was as though he had grown tired of fight. In a swirl of the glittering dust that covered the ground, he vanished. A gust of wind blew over the other occupants of the room, nearly sending Harry and Anya back to their knees for a third time as they were trying to stand up. And then the dust settled again and everything was quiet.

"Is he gone?" Anya asked timidly as she stepped towards the headmaster.

Suddenly, Anya heard a gasping choke behind her and she turned on her heel to see Harry fall back to the floor, clutching at his sides in pain. She kneeled down in front of him and noticed how his green eyes were almost glowing pure white. **"You've lost, old man,"** he said coldly, but his voice was different, like it almost had a hissing...

"No," Anya gasped. "No, no, no! Harry!" she cried, watching as the Boy Who Lived battled with his greatest foe inside his own mind.

"My dear, be careful!" Dumbledore warned her, reaching out to pull her away from the wizard possessing her friend.

But Anya would have none of that. Ignoring the older wizard behind her, she reached out and grabbed onto Harry's hand. With such a direct link to both their minds, Anya could see everything that Harry was seeing: every bad memory Harry had ever faced from when his parents were killed to Sirius' death only moments. She could even hear Voldemort's voice in her own head saying to Harry how weak and vulnerable he was. One image was of Harry standing in front of a mirror and his head twisted away before turning back and in the reflected surface was his body but with Voldemort's face.

"Harry, you have to fight him," Anya struggled to speak, the pain of the invasion on her mind almost unbearable. "Do you understand me? Fight him!"

_**'You think he could actually defeat me, you pathetic little Mudblood?' **_Voldemort's voice rang out in her head. Anya clutched her eyes shut. _**'He and I are exactly alike. There is no changing that!'**_

_'You're wrong!' _Anya shouted back to him. _'If there's one thing I know for sure is that Harry is nothing like you! All you care about is yourself and power! You are going to die just like you did fourteen years ago and Harry's going to be the one to send your sorry ass back to Hell where it belongs! And I'm gonna do whatever I can to help him, even if I have to die to do it, 'cause that's what friends do!'_

The pain grew even stronger as if Voldemort was sending the torturing curse straight through her mind. Every nerve felt like it was on fire as she was wrenched away from Harry with the pain. A blood curtling scream filled the room and then, Anya fell into darkness.

,:~:,

Harry watched, as if he were some sort of ghost outside of his own body, as Anya slumped to the ground unconcious.

The memories that kept flashing in his mind's eye changed to ones that weren't of bad times. They were of the times where even in the most dangerous and darkest situations, Anya, Ron, and Hermione had always been by his side. When Harry was accused of being the Heir of Slytherin, his friends had been there for him. How through every obstacle they'd ever faced, they always came out on the other end with a friendship even stronger than before. Every happy moment they'd shared, every carefree second was laid out before him. Memories of the love he'd received from his parents and Sirius- people who sacrificed their lives for him- chased the bad ones away.

Harry wasn't weak, and he was nothing like Voldemort. And no matter what happened, he'd never be alone. He realized that now.

"You're the weak one," he whispered to the dark wizard in his mind. "And you'll never know love or friendship... and I almost pity you for it!" He grabbed at the lightning bolt pendant he was wearing still after all these years since Anya had given it to him and with one great push in his mind, Voldemort was expelled from within him.

Harry gasped at the amount of energy he had used as he rolled onto his back. But even with such physical exhaustion, he'd never felt stronger. The darkness that had filled his heart only seconds ago was gone, pushed back into the farthest corner of his mind and locked away.

Rolling back onto his side, he saw Anya still out cold on the floor beside him. Using what little strength he had, he pulled himself over to her and picked her up in his arms. A dark shadow loomed over the two friends and Harry looked up to see Voldemort towering over them.

"You're a fool, Harry Potter. And you will lose... everything," Voldemort smirked.

"Don't count on it," Harry growled back.

Voldemort wasn't pleased. He prepared to finish this once and for all, but was stopped when members of the Ministry arrived by the Floo Network, including Cornelius Fudge who froze with fear when he saw the dark wizard was truly back from the dead. With a sneer, he disappeared.

"Anya... Anya, wake up!" Harry begged his friend, Hermione and Ron finally arriving with the others and rushing to their friends. Other than a few cuts and bruises, they were alright.

Anya let out a groan of pain and violet eyes slowly fluttered open. She took in the faces of the redhead and brunette before turning to Harry. "You alright Harry?" she asked and the Boy Who Lived nearly cried with relief. Only Anya would worry about other people even when she herself were seriously hurt.

"I'm fine, thanks to you," he smiled, earning one from the American.

"Nothing could ever break up the Golden Quartet," she laughed, holding her hand out, palm down. "Best buds, remember?"

"You know it," Ron smiled, placing his hand over hers.

"Always and forever," Hermione added as she put her hand on the pile.

Harry looked at his friends. "We're more than that," he said before placing his hand on top. "We're family."

,:~:,

When they arrived back at Hogwarts, the news of Voldemort's return and what had happened at the Ministry had already circulated. People tried to visit the seven brave students in the hospital wing to find out the details, but Madame Pomfrey refused to let anyone in other than the re-instated headmaster, Dumbledore. By the second day, all except Anya and Harry, whom had both suffered from the most amount of assaults, had been released.

One morning, Dumbledore came into the wing to find Harry sitting by Anya's side, watching over her as she slept. According to the school's healer, the young girl had been experiencing terrible nightmares for the last several nights. And the friendship that these two had with one another was far stronger than anything Dumbledore himself had ever seen judging by what he had seen that day, so it was no surprise that Harry had taken to guarding over her at times.

"Harry, I was wondering if I might have a word?" the elderly wizard asked.

"Sorry Professor, but not right now." Harry's reply was clipped and Dumbledore knew that he deserved that. All year long, the young wizard tried to talk to him, to have some sort of clue as to what had been happening to him, but the headmaster ignored him.

"Harry, I know how you feel-" Dumbledore tried again, but Harry cut him off.

"You don't know how I feel," the young wizard replied sharply, taking his eyes off his friend for an instant to stare coldly at the other wizard in the room.

Dumbledore began to explain how he had thought that if he had distanced himself from Harry, the chances that Voldemort wouldn't use the link between their minds to get to Dumbledore, but that it had only brought the teen even deeper into the battle. Knowing that there wasn't much else that he could do, Dumbledore promised that he would no longer keep any secrets from Harry before he left the room.

"You know, you should have been nicer," Anya stated, her eyes still closed.

Harry looked back down at her and shook his head in amusement, the first light feeling he'd felt for days. "And you should stop listening in on other people's conversations."

Anya opened her eyes and gave him one of her famous innocent looks. "Maybe people shouldn't have such personal conversations around me while they think that I'm still asleep," she teased. The smile on her face faded though as the memories of everything came rushing back. Sitting up in bed, she reached over and took Harry's hand. "You ok?" she asked out of habit.

"I... I don't really know," Harry admitted.

Anya thought on it for a moment before she threw the covers off her legs. "Come on- I've got an idea," she said as she stood up on shaky legs.

"Where are we going?" Harry asked as he helped her stand. He wanted to tell her that she should still be resting and that she wasn't ready to exert herself by walking, but he knew better than to stop the spitfire of a witch when she was on a mission.

"Just follow me," she replied, grabbed the housecoat off the foot of the bed and slipped her sneakers back on her feet before walking out the door, grabbing a candle and plastic bowl on her way out.

Harry followed quietly behind Anya as she led him through the school and out into the cooling weather of the approaching night. They continued to the Black Lake where the giant squid was peacefully sleeping over in the shallow end. Harry watched as Anya bent down by the edge of the lake, lit the candle, and stood it in the bowl. Then she gently placed the bowl on the surface of the water and gave it a small nudge so it went out into the center of the lake.

"Sirius, you spent a great deal of your life believed to have been a murderer and betrayer. But we know that you have sooner died before betraying your friends. You were the bravest man that there ever was and you will be in our hearts always and forever." And with that, she began to since a gentle melody.

_Lay down  
>Your sweet and weary head<br>Night is falling  
>You have come to journey's end<br>Sleep now  
>And dream of the ones who came before<br>They are calling  
>From across a distant shore<em>

_Why do you weep?_  
><em>What are these tears upon your face?<em>  
><em>Soon you will see<em>  
><em>All of your fears will pass away<em>  
><em>Safe in my arms<em>  
><em>You're only sleeping<em>

_What can you see_  
><em>On the horizon?<em>  
><em>Why do the white gulls call?<em>  
><em>Across the sea<em>  
><em>A pale moon rises<em>  
><em>The ships have come to carry you home<em>

_And all will turn_  
><em>To silver glass<em>  
><em>A light on the water<em>  
><em>All Souls pass<em>

_Hope fades_  
><em>Into the world of night<em>  
><em>Through shadows falling<em>  
><em>Out of memory and time<em>  
><em>Don't say<em>  
><em>We have come now to the end<em>  
><em>White shores are calling<em>  
><em>You and I will meet again<em>  
><em>And you'll be here in my arms<em>  
><em>Just sleeping<em>

_Chorus_

_And all will turn_  
><em>To silver glass<em>  
><em>A light on the water<em>  
><em>Grey ships pass<em>  
><em>Into the West<em>

Harry hadn't realized he'd been crying until the cold wind bit at the wetness on his face. Reaching up, he wiped away at the tears. "Thank you Anya," he told her. A real burial could never happen since Sirius' body was lost in the strange veil in the Department of Mysteries, but to know that this spot would be their special marker of his godfather's grave gave Harry some closure.

Anya gave him a watery smile as she leaned her head on his shoulder. Silently, the two friends paid their respect to the soul of the person they had both lost.

* * *

><p><em><strong>MMM: *sniffles* Well... there you have it. This last part was a little difficult to write; I was getting a little misty eye at it. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Only 1 more to go before the end of Year 5. If you have any comments- any at all- then press that button down below. You know which one I'm talking about!<strong>_

_**Nancy (aka megamatchmaker)**_


	62. Year 5 Ch11

_**MMM: New chapter! New chapter! Anyone up for a new chapter?**_

_**GQ: *raise hands***_

_**MMM: Great! Now where's my favorite little Irish witch? She's got an important part in this.**_

_**VS: *pops up* Right here!**_

_**MMM: Fab! And we're going to need our two current LEAST favorite Slytherins. Where are they?**_

_**DM & PP: *hide in background***_

_**MMM: Oh well, they'll come out sooner or later. They have no choice. It's my story after all. :)**_

* * *

><p><strong>Ch. 62 Power of Friendship<strong>

After a few more days of being under the watchful eye of Madame Pomfrey, along with being perscribed a simple dreamless sleeping draught, Anya was finally released from the hospital wing. Anya regretted not being there when Umbridge was booted from her job at the school in front of her beloved press, but she was thankful that she didn't have to put up with the witch for another day. She just considered herself lucky that during her time in the wing, the pink toad never came to visit... or poison her in her sleep.

It was nice to see that Hogwarts was beginning to go back to the way that it once was. Dumbledore was back in charge, all the teachers that Umbridge had fired had been given back their jobs, and that idiotic excuse of an Inquisitorial Squad was ended.

But everything was also so different. With the news that Voldemort was back, finally admitted by the resigning Cornelius Fudge, fear became thick in the air. It was obvious that everyone was worried now that they knew the truth... even if they had been warned for the past several months about it.

And there was something else too. Ever since they got back to Hogwarts, Anya had noticed how Pansy and Malfoy were always together. At first, it didn't make any difference to her. After all, it had been Anya who had ended the relationship. But as the days went on, it became harder and harder to see the two together. And the words that Pansy had told her that summer, where Anya would never be good enough for Malfoy's world, rang through her ears every time she saw them in the halls.

Harry and the others could see how this was effecting Anya and they tried to get her mind off it, but there was only so much that they could do when it practically was staring the American right in the face every day in places she couldn't escape from. She would often just smile and wave it off, but she didn't fool them for a second.

"What do you think we should do?" Ron quietly asked the others after charms class Friday morning, watching as his friend/sister tucked her things away before heading out the door.

"I wish I knew," Harry answered defeatedly. He hated seeing Anya like this. For someone who had been powerful enough to defeat Voldemort several times in his life, he felt as weak and helpless as a new born kitten.

"You know what? I think I've got just the plan," Vi announced as they followed the rest of the class out the door. "Harry, Ron- you think you can handle Malfoy?"

"Not a problem," the boys replied, several ideas of how they could seriously injure the blonde Slytherin already forming in their heads.

Vi smirked. "Well, just make sure you don't rough him up _too_ much. We don't want to leave any visible marks," she warned them. Then she turned to the other girl. "And Hermione, you're with me on Pansy patrol."

"What do you have in mind?" the brunette asked, glaring at the Slytherin girl in question as she laughed loudly as she walked out the door.

Vi's smirk grew. "I was thinking... total humiliation."

,:~:,

Draco felt hollow. There was simply no other word to describe it. When Anya broke up with him, he felt as though someone had ripped out his heart and shredded it to pieces.

The rest of the Slytherins, glad that their Prince was no longer dating the 'Mudblood American', went back to their incessant bullying towards her. Draco warned them to stop- had even threatened a few whose insults were more vulgar than others- but they all just said he had to forget about her.

But how could he? How could Draco forget the look of pain that he had seen flash in her beautiful violet eyes when she had seen him standing outside that doorway?

And what was worse that she thought he betrayed her. He would have sooner used the Killing curse on himself before he would do that! But he couldn't deny that the events that had taken place did not help him.

_Flashback_

_ Draco was walking through the corridors of the school, 'patrolling' for signs of Potter and his friends breaking the rules. Of course, he was just dawdling until Anya's lesson was over for the day. It seemed like forever since they got to spend some quality time together. Sure, they may have seen each other every day during Christmas break and at school, but they were always surrounded by other people._

_ Draco had planned another of his special little picnics up in the Astronomy tower for the evening. He already had the meal set with all of Anya's favorites, including some of the grape soda he had asked her mother to send from the States. He personally thought it was too sweet, but Anya loved it, so he went out of his way to make her happy. While they ate, he would hold her in his arms- maybe even read some of those fluff short stories she liked so much to her._

_ Suddenly, Draco was snapped out of his thoughts by the sound of feet walking nearby. Turning around the corner, Draco saw- to his dismay- that Umbridge was heading up the stairs to the seventh floor. And judging by the glee on her face, she'd found Anya and the others._

_ Draco hurried off after them, hoping that maybe he could do something to stop them, but it was no use._

_ "Ah, there you are Mr. Malfoy," Umbridge greeted him when he got closer before she returned to sending spells at the wall, the stone beginning to crumble away under the force of the magic._

_ "What's going on here?" Draco asked worriedly, already knowing the answer but dreading to actually hear it._

_ "Professor Umbridge found Potter and his snivelling friends," Pansy announced as she walked up to the group, dragging the Ravenclaw student by her robe. "This one squealed on them."_

_ "You used truth serum on me!" Cho accused._

_ "It doesn't matter," Umbridge waved it off as if she hadn't violated a student's privacy with magic. "I got what I wanted." And with another spell, the hole in the wall opened up to the other side. "I'll make short work of this. Bombarda Maxima." The power of this spell was enough to blow a giant hole in the wall._

_ As the dust began to settle, Pansy shoved Cho at Draco. "Come on then. You wanted to be a part of this. Now do it!" And while he was still off balance, she pushed him into view for the group they had finally found._

_End Flashback_

Draco clenched his eyes tight in hope of erasing the pain he'd seen in Anya's violet eyes that night.

Looking down at the ring in his hand, Draco heard her voice shouting the words _"I hate you!"_ over and over again to the point where it hurt to think. The next morning, he had realized that it truly was over when he received a box in the morning post containing every momento and trinket that he'd given her, along with a note.

_Don't bother sending me anything back. I'll just throw it in the trash where it belongs._

_Collins_

"Malfoy, you coming?" Crabbe's voice sounded from the doorway.

Draco snapped out his thoughts, quickly stuffing the ring into his pocket. "I guess," he replied. With that, he got up from his bed and walked out the door with his crony behind him.

The second he stepped into the Great Hall, Draco looked over at the Gryffindor table to find Anya, and what he saw made his heart ache.

She looked so frail sitting there amongst the crowd. Her normally healthy tanned skin looked a sickly pale and he could see the dark circles under her eyes. He knew how that felt because he was feeling that very same way.

Draco wanted so badly to run up to her, ignore everyone around them and beg for her forgiveness- even if he hadn't done anything wrong. But before he could move, Potter looked over at where he was standing and said something to Anya. Those violet eyes turned cold with absolute hatred as she turned them onto Draco. She turned back to her friends who all stood up with her, collected their things, and marched right past him, the three other friends sending death glares Draco's way.

"Violet," Draco called out to the Hufflepuff girl who had just walked into the room as the others left. The Irish beauty looked his way only to silently scoff before heading over to her house's table. Realising that she didn't want to talk to him either, Draco silently headed to his own table, ignoring how Pansy clung to his side like a sticking charm.

Once again, amongst a sea of people his family's name would be honored to associate with, Draco felt more alone than ever.

,:~:,

Anya sighed as she continued packing away her things. The school year would be over in a couple of days and soon, they'd all be heading home for the summer break. Anya was just glad that she'd be getting away from Hogwarts for a little while.

Opening her bedside drawer, Anya was faced with a Muggle photograph of her and Malfoy at her Auntie Joy's summer party. Her long auburn hair was blowing out behind her as she swung forwards on the old tire swing, Malfoy standing behind her, smiles on their faces that were so bright they could have blocked out the sun. Anya felt sadness at the memory of that day mix with the anger of his betrayal. Snatching the photo out of the drawer, she began to rip it into pieces before she took the remains and threw them into the heater in the middle of the room, watching as the paper shriveled in the heat.

Suddenly, a knock on the door brought Anya back to reality. "Who is it?" she called out. She knew it wasn't any of the girls seeing as they'd just come into their room.

"Special delivery for Ms. Anya Collins," a squeaky voice sounded from the other side of the door. Recognizing the voice, Anya opened the door and was greeted by a large bouquet of wild flowers and bright green, tennis ball-sized eyes.

"Dobby!" Anya smiled as she stepped aside, allowing the house-elf to come in. "What are you doing here?"

"Dobby has come by to visit his friend Anya Collins and to bring her a gift," the house-elf squeaked. He held out the flowers. "Dobby wanted to surprise Anya Collins."

"Well, you sure did surprise me," Anya smiled as she accepted the gift, taking in the sweet fragrance the flowers offered. "Thank you. They're beautiful." She conjured up a small vase with fresh water and began to arrange the flowers neatly in the crystal vase. Once she was satisfied, she placed them on her bedside table. "Perfect." She sat on the edge of the bed and looked over at Dobby before patting the spot beside her for him to sit down.

"Dobby heard what nasty young ex-master Malfoy had done to poor Anya Collins," Dobby announced, swinging his little feet back and forth like a child would.

Anya sighed. "You and about everyone else in this damn school," she muttered.

"Does Anya Collins wish for Dobby to get revenge on Draco Malfoy?" Dobby offered. "Dobby can put a nasty hex on Draco Malfoy's food." His big eyes were shining brightly, eager to please.

Anya laughed before she shook her head. "No... It's alright, Dobby. This is kind of a private battle. Besides- I don't want you to get in trouble," she told him.

"But Dobby would make sure he wouldn't get in trouble," the house-elf squeaked. "Dobby would be most careful about what sort of magic he'd use-"

"Really Dobby, it's fine," Anya cut him off. "Besides, I'm over it." The house-elf gave her a look. "Well... as 'over it' as I can be. But I'll deal. There's no reason for you to get involved with my problems."

"Dobby understands," he replied sadly. Anya could see that he had wanted to do something to help her and she felt her heart melt at the action.

"You know... there is something you could do for me, Dobby," Anya continued. When Dobby looked up at her, she held her arms out. "I could really use a hug from a really good friend."

Dobby smiled and wrapped his skinny arms around her neck. "Dobby will always be there for his friends."

"I know you will," Anya whispered. "Just like I will be there for you too, buddy."

,:~:,

Anya felt a lot better when she woke up the next morning. The little visit from Dobby had been exactly what she needed to put the past behind her. If Pansy wanted Malfoy so badly, then she could have him. Anya had wasted way too much time on the loser at it was. With the first genuine smile she'd had in weeks, Anya got ready and headed downstairs for breakfast.

What she wasn't expecting was what waited for her just outside the portrait hole to Gryffindor tower.

Standing not five feet from the Fat Lady's portrait were Harry and Ron. And with them, or at least against them, was Malfoy himself. The blonde had a bruised cheek and busted lip and judging by the anger flashing in her friends' eyes, they had been the ones who had delivered the blows.

"What's going on here?" Anya asked, confused by what this was all about. She rushed over to them, not noticing the bouquet of white gardenias that laid crushed on the floor.

"This bastard needs to be taught a lesson or two about messing with our friend," Ron growled, his blue eyes glaring at the boy in front of him.

"Just leave it Ron," Anya urged him.

"But Anya-" Harry began, shocked that Anya would stop them.

"I said leave it," Anya cut him off. She took one look at the pitiful Slytherin and though she was thankful that her friends would be willing to get in trouble to defend her, she didn't want them to risk it. "Besides, he's not even worth the trouble." And with that, she led her friends down to the Great Hall.

They had barely stepped foot into the Great Hall when a loud _'boom!'_ echoed through the room, followed shortly after by a terrible shrieking. Looking towards where the noise came from, the three Gryffindors saw Pansy Parkinson at the Slytherin table with a box in front of her and a green face.

No, seriously- her face was a disgusting shade of green and as they watched, bright red and orange spots began to blossom on her face. Pansy shrieked again and batted her hands at the bat bogey hex that was flying around her head but they only kept coming back and growing in numbers. Everyone in the room laughed as the Slytherin girl ran out the door with the hex right after her.

"Wonder who pulled that off?" Anya laughed as they sat down at Gryffindor table.

"You can direct your praise over in this general direction," Vi's voice sounded from behind them before the Irish beauty sat down on Anya's other side. "And I can't take full credit. I did have some help from two certain friends," she smiled.

"Who?" Ron asked.

"That would be us." The gang looked back to see Hermione and Ginny walking towards them. "Hermione came up with the face-staining potion, I took care of the hex, and Vi figured out the delivery bit," Ginny explained.

Vi shrugged. "It was pretty easy. Pansy couldn't resist a fancy necklace from some high-priced shop with a note from her 'Drakie'." She looked back over at where Pansy had just vanished. "That should show her not to mess with my pal."

"You mean you guys did all this for me?" Anya asked with tears in her eyes. Not even giving them a chance to answer, she shot up in her seat and pulled them all into massive hugs. "You guys are the best!"

The last few days were pleasant- Hermione had added very potent ingredients into the potion causing it to stay on Pansy's face for days- and soon, it was time to head to Hogsmeade to board the train back home. "You know, I've been thinking... about what Dumbledore said," Harry began as they sat in their compartment.

"What's that?" Hermione asked.

"There's one thing that we have that Voldemort doesn't- something worth fighting for," Harry continued.

"You got that right!" Anya smiled. "Oh! That reminds me!" She reached up in the overhead luggage bay and pulled down her guitar. "I wrote a song for you guys."

"Can we hear it?" Vi asked anxiously.

Anya just gave her a look. "What do you think?" she smirked.

_I'm blind-folded on this roller coaster they call life.  
>Keep trying to make it through the next turn, knuckles white and holdin' tight.<br>So here I go, takin' a curve,  
>but I know that I'm never alone.<br>I think of you, I know you'd never let me go._

I feel connected, protected, it's like you're sitting right with me all the time.  
>You hear me, you're near me,<br>and everything else's gonna be alright.  
>'Cause nothin' can break this, nothin' can break this, nothin' can break this tie.<br>Connected...connected inside.

It's not an accident, the time we spent apart.  
>But now we're so close, I can always find you right here in my heart.<br>You've given me somethin' I need, and I don't ever want it to end.  
>Because of you, I know I've found my strength again.<p>

I feel connected, protected, it's like you're sitting right with me all the time.  
>You hear me, you're near me,<br>and everything else's gonna be alright.  
>'Cause nothin' can break this, nothin' can break this, nothin' can break this tie.<br>Connected...connected inside.

Everytime that I breathe, I can feel the energy.  
>Reachin' out, flowin' through, you to me and me to you. Find your dream,<br>walk or stand, you are everywhere I am.  
>Seperate souls, unified, touching at the speed of light.<p>

whoa, ah-oh, ah-oh, ah-oh, ah-oh, ah-oh, ah-oh, ah-oh

I feel connected, protected, it's like you're sitting right with me all the time.  
>You hear me, you're near me,<br>and everything else's gonna be alright.  
>Connected, protected, now you're in my mind, now I'm doin' fine.<br>You hear me, you're near me, and everything else's gonna be alright.  
>'Cause nothin' can break this, nothin' can break this, nothin' can break this tie.<br>Connected...connected inside.

She finished on the last note and looked up to see everyone staring at her with amazement. "So?" she asked nervously. "What do you think?"

"It's perfect," Hermione beamed, earning nods of agreement from everyone else.

Anya just sighed with relief. It was so good to have such great friends.

* * *

><p><strong><em>MMM: And that's it for Year 5! Year 6 coming soon! Promise!<em>**

**_AC: That prank was priceless! I didn't know Hermione could be that devilish!_**

**_HG: Well, she shouldn't have messed with my friend. Simple as that._**

**_MMM: Come on Hermione- admit it! You loved that._**

**_HG: *shrugs* Won't disagree._**

**_RW: And we finally got to beat Malfoy up! I call that a win-win._**

**_MMM: Technically Ron, you already beat him up. Remember- Umbridge's office? Ring a bell?_**

**_RW: So what?_**

**_MMM *shakes head* Never mind. Anyway, don't forget to review! The story can't continue unless you do! And we're SO close to 500 reviews! If I can get that, I'll post two chapters in the same day even!_**

**_Nancy (aka megamatchmaker)_**


	63. Year 6 Ch1

_**MMM: Well, we're not**_**_ at 500 reviews just yet, but I figured I might as well continue posting anyway. But I think I'll just stick with one chapter per update day. So, this is the beginning of year 6, and as you all know- at least I hope you do- there are going to be some really, and I mean REALLY big Draco/Anya moments. Not the kind that you're all hoping for! Sorry! But you know how the series go and I find it poor manners to get them back together only for them to split up again for year 7!_**

**_AC: So you're saying that we _will _get back together?_**

**_MMM: It'll be hard, but I'm sure you will._**

**_Also, I know that since the story is getting pretty close to its end, I'm wondering if I should make a sequel or not. The idea is to write a bunch of one-shots between after the big, final battle in year 7 to the epilogue: '19 years later'. What do you guys think? Good idea? No? I'll make a poll on my page and let you guys choose. It'll open up today and end... the 4th of July for Anya's big b-day. Sound good?_**

**_AC: Sure! Who can say they get final votes for a sequel of their story for their birthday? I'll tell ya- NO ONE! *smiles & dances gleefully*_**

**_MMM: Well, you heard her folks!_**

* * *

><p><strong>Ch. 63 Darkness Keeps Falling<strong>

Violet eyes scanned through the different articles that were in front of them, not really taking them in except for those that mentioned disappearances and odd occurences. A sigh passed the teen's lips as she closed the newspaper and tossed it to the side.

Anya Collins was sitting in her usual place of Max's old-style diner, picking at her plate of lukewarm fries as she went over what she'd just read. People were disappearing every day, sometimes to be found weeks later either dead or driven mad by something. Other times, those missing people were just never found. And the occurences: like just the other day, it was said that a bridge over in London suddenly gave away not even ten years after its construction. The people there believed that it had simply been something to do with the way the bridge had been made, but Anya and those like her knew better.

The thing was Anya Collins wasn't the typical teenage girl one would have as a next door neighbor. This recently-turned sixteen year old had a secret, and a big one at that.

She was a witch, born into a family of muggles which is what the wizarding world called those without magic.

But who could she tell about this secret? Her parents already knew since they would send her to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry every year. But that was it. If they weren't a part of the wizarding world directly, then people couldn't know about the world of magic. Even her cousins didn't know about it. There were so many times where Anya wanted to use her gifts against her hometown rival, Lucy Heller, or just show her up that even with all her money and popularity, there was one thing that Lucy would never have that Anya did, but she couldn't. It was against wizarding law.

But Anya wasn't alone. She did after all have her neighbor, Vi Smith, who was also a witch. Not to mention, her other loyal friends from school, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, and Harry Potter.

Now that was a friendship that Anya never thought she'd have. But then again, she'd never have thought that she'd also go up against giant killer snakes or werewolves or anything out of the ordinary. And in all the years she's known she was a witch, never once had she thought she'd come face to face with one of the most dangerous wizards of all time and live to tell the tale. In the past five years that she had known those three, never once had they had a calm, uneventful year at Hogwarts.

And now, with the real return of the most dangerous wizard back from the dead, both the muggle and wizarding worlds were going to pieces. What the muggles thought was simply accidents was really all a part of Voldemort's return to power. It was only a matter of time before things became worse.

The only place that was truly safe these days was Hogwarts. With Albus Dumbledore, the one wizard that Voldemort had always feared most, as the school's headmaster, the wizarding school was as safe as could be.

The only thing Anya worried about was how long Hogwarts would stay safe?

,:~:,

Anya coughed as she stepped out of the fireplace of the Burrow, home to the Weasley family. It seemed like forever since she'd last seen any of them. Ron's last letter invited Anya to come to spend the last few days of summer break with him and the rest of his family before school started. Thanks to the money Harry had won from the Triwizard Tournament at the end of their fourth year that he'd given to Fred and George along with a year of trial and error on their products, the Weasley twins had created their own line of joke and gag items and were opening their own store that upcoming weekend. And of course, they'd invited Anya, Harry, and Hermione for the big opening day.

But convincing Anya's parents to even let her leave the States had been a challenge.

_Flashback_

_ "You guys can't be serious!" Anya exclaimed at her parents, looking on in shock as they continued preparing dinner as if they hadn't just hit Anya with the biggest shock of her life. "Please tell me that you're joking! This has to be some kind of sick prank!"_

_ "We're absolutely serious, Anya," Nicole Collins replied as she chopped the carrots._

_ "You can't just stop me from going back to school!" Anya continued. "I mean, it's school! Hogwarts!"_

_ "Yes, and it's also over in Europe, where we can't get to you at a moment's notice," her mother shot back. "It's too dangerous."_

_ "What are you talking about? Hogwarts is the safest place to be!" Anya shouted._

_ "And just how is that?" Rick Collins asked his daughter. "Last I checked, that school has been nothing but trouble for you. Giant snakes and spiders, dangerous wizards, and all sorts of things! No- that school is no good. You'll stay right here in New York. It's still early in the summer, so we can still enroll you in high school here-"_

_ "Staying here in America is about as dangerous as can be for me," Anya cut him off._

_ "Anya, mind you manners!" Nicole scolded the teen._

_ "And how exactly are 'manners' going to help me if I get cornered on the streets by a couple of Death Eaters on my way home from the grocery store?" Anya shot. "What? Should I say 'please don't hurt me?' Yeah, I'm sure that will work," she scoffed. "They'd eat me alive." She flopped down at the dinner table, crossing her arms as she leaned back in her chair._

_ Rick sighed. "Anya, look... I know that you're upset," he started, bringing the parmesan chicken- their number one bribe with their daughter- out of the oven to the table. "But this is for the best."_

_ "_Hogwarts_ is for the best," Anya scoffed again. "Voldemort's ruthless. He'd torture a person for days- maybe even months- before he even considered killing them. At Hogwarts, I'd learn how to properly defend myself against lunatics like him."_

_ "Like the way you did last year?" Nicole questioned._

_ Anya rolled her eyes. "That was a fluke."_

_ "You seem to be having a lot of 'flukes' at that school," Rick replied as they all sat down._

_ "But with Dumbledore as the headmaster, Voldemort wouldn't think twice of actually stepping foot anywhere _near_ the school!" Anya argued. She just had to make her parents see it her way._

_ "Well that theory only works if you _stayin _the school, now doesn't it?" Nicole countered._

_ "So what? I was suppose to let my best friends go off on their own and possibly get killed that night?" Anya questioned. "I thought you expected better than that from me."_

_ "And what exactly is it that you believe we 'expect' from you?" her mother asked, folding her hands on the table in front of her in a calm matter._

_ Anya leaned forward in her seat. "You're always telling me that I should follow what my heart is saying to me- even when it's saying something my head's telling me that I shouldn't. _You_ are the ones that say to me 'friends are the most important thing in this world' and that I should always 'cherish them and have their back because you never know what tomorrow will bring'. Well, I did that three months ago- I've been doing that for years! I will go through hell and back if it means it'll protect my friends!"_

_ "I think we've had enough of this discussion for tonight," Nicole interrupted. "It's time to eat."_

_ Anya scoffed in disbelief. The second she brought the argument around on them where she knew she was right, her parents pulled the stops on it. She scoffed again before rising from her seat. "If you'll excuse me," she bit out._

_ "And where do you think you're going?" Nicole demanded._

_ "I don't really have much of an appetite right now," Anya called back over her shoulder._

_ Anya marched up the stairs to her room and slammed the door hard behind her. She would have locked it too to show her parents that she didn't want to talk to them anymore, but her father had the deadbolt on it removed while she had been away at school. With a huff, she flopped down on her bed, grabbed her MP3 from her bedside table, and popped in her headphones. Scanning through the playlists, she settled on the one with her heavy metal/rave music._

_ It was a couple of hours later when her hunger reared its ugly head and let out a loud grumble in her stomach. Looking at the clock, Anya saw that it was well past ten at night. Figuring that her parents had called it an early night for work tomorrow, Anya turned off the music and slipped out of bed, carefully creeping past her parents' bedroom and downstairs to the kitchen. Anya wasn't the greatest cook in the world- hell, she couldn't boil water- but she could at least whip up a sandwich and snatch a bag of chips to bring back to her room._

_ So Anya was a little surprised to see that her mother and father were still sitting at the dining room table._

_ "What are we going to do, Rick?" Nicole asked her husband. "We can't just let her go back there. It's too dangerous."_

_ "But maybe she's right about it being safer," Rick replied. "I mean, sure- we'd have no way of reaching her quickly, but even if we did, what good would it do? We don't know magic- we wouldn't be able to protect her."_

_ "So we should just let her go off to another country on her own?" Nicole asked in appaul. "She's just a child!"_

_ "A 'child' who has faced more dangers in the last five years than most people in the Bronx face within a week!" Rick explained._

_ "Which is why she shouldn't go back there! I refuse to let her go! She might not be that lucky the next time around!"_

_ "Nicole, you know as well as I do that if we stopped Anya from going back to school at Hogwarts, she'd never forgive us for that._

_ "We've always taught her to go after what she wants and that she should never take no for an answer. Why kind of parents would we be if we took those beliefs and throw them back in our daughter's face?" Rick asked._

_ "We'd be the kind that keeps our daughter _alive_," his wife replied._

_ "And you guys do," Anya spoke up, catching the adults by surprise. Stepping into the room, she gave them a watery smile. "Because of you, I never had to worry about feeling insecure about anything my entire life." She turned to her mother. "Mom, you taught me how to read and write and to accept people- even when they don't accept me. And Dad," she turned to her father, "you taught me how to ride a bike for the first time and how to enjoy life every day._

_ "You guys have always been there to protect me for so long. Can you blame me for wanting to be able to do that for you guys?" she continued. "To know something that can protect you from the bad things in _my_ world that you don't understand?"_

_ "Oh sweetie!" Nicole cried as she pulled her daughter into a hug. She pulled back at let out a weak laugh as she looked at her baby girl. "How did you grow up so fast?"_

_ "I just wanted to make you guys proud of me," Anya whispered through her own tears._

_ "Anya," Rick chuckled as he stood beside his girls. "Not matter what, we'll always be proud of you."_

_End Flashback_

Anya shook her head as she remembered the tears they all had shed, along with the giant plate of brownies they'd polished off together. And although her parents had still been hesitant on the subject, they agreed that Anya going back to Hogwarts was the better choice.

"Anya! How lovely to see you again, dear!" Mrs. Weasley smiled as she stepped into the room, wiping her hands on her apron before pulling the girl into a motherly hug.

"Nice to see you again too, Mrs. Weasley," Anya grinned herself.

Suddenly, footsteps thudded from the floors above before three other teens came running into the room. Anya pulled away from the older witch and let out a squeal of delight before rushing towards her friends. "Harry! Ron! Hermione! Oh, I've missed you guys!"

,:~:,

The four friends were up in Ron's room. Anya loved how it seemed to perfectly reflect her friend: piles of old school books lying around on the floor and practically every wall covered with something Chudley Cannons related. All he really was missing was a mini-fridge in the corner and it would probably be paradise for him.

Except for the lack of privacy.

The bedroom door burst open as the youngest and only girl of the Wealsy children came marching into the room. "This is a disaster!" Ginny cried out, face red with her obvious distaste. "This is the end of the world!"

"Could you use another way to describe it?" Anya asked, cringing at the inappropriate choice of words.

Hermione rolled her eyes at the redheaded girl. "I hardly see how it could be _that_ terrible, Ginny," she said.

The younger witch scoffed. "Easy for you to say! You're not getting the Queen of Terror as a sister-in-law!"

"Are you trying to tell me that one of your brothers is marrying Umbridge?" Anya joked.

"I almost wish!" Ginny groaned. "It's Bill- he's marrying Fleur!"

"Bill? You mean your brother that worked in the Gringotts bank over in Egypt?" Anya asked. She remembered seeing a picture of the whole Weasley family down in the living room. For someone who had such a respectable and regal-like profession as curse-breaker, it was surprising to be told that he was the one that had the long hair, wore rock concert clothes, and had a dragon tooth earring in one ear. She also remembered the incredibly beautiful blonde girl that had been the Triwizard champion for Beauxbatons school two years ago. "I... didn't know that they knew each other."

"They met at the end of our fourth year and worked together in Gringotts over in London for the last year," Ron explained to her. It was clear in his voice that Ron was still taken by the part Veela witch.

"Oh... that's sweet," Anya cooed. "Who doesn't like an office romance?"

"That's exactly my point!" Ginny shouted. "An _office_ romance. That means that it should have_ stayed_ in the office- not eventually follow my brother home and use its Veela magic to make it become a part of my family!" The young Weasley witch threw her hands up in the air. "It's completely unfair!"

Anya looked appauled. "I think the only thing that's 'unfair' is how you're acting," she told the younger girl.

"What's that suppose to mean?" Ginny replied hotly.

"It means, Ginerva Weasley, that you should give Fleur a break," Anya shot back just as hotly.

"But you don't get it! Fleur has been around our house all the time now! She always has something bad to say about whatever we do and does nothing but go on and on about how where she's from, it's all this or that. I can't stand it and neither can Mum! And why her? I mean, what does Bill see in Fleur? They have nothing in common!"

"First off, of course Fleur is going to see differences in how things are done here," Anya began to explain. "Things in this part of the world are different from where she grew up. Hell- I still get confused at times when I hear someone call the bathroom 'the loo'. And they can't have 'nothing' in common. There had to of been something that they both liked for them to start dating at some point."

"But why couldn't have Bill chosen to marry someone else? Someone that was more like him?" Ginny whined. "Like Tonks- they are perfect for each other! They both have the same tastes in clothes and music."

Anya crossed her arms. "I like to wear graffic t-shirts and sometimes, I'll listen to a little heavy metal music. Does that mean _I_ would be 'perfect'?"

"Yes! And it would work since you're already so much like a sister to me. Nothing would really change! And you know Mum adores you!" Ginny exclaimed, almost as if she was trying to make the idea appealing.

Anya wasn't impressed. "I think I'm gonna go out for some air." Getting up from the floor where she and the others had been sitting, she grabbed her denim jacket off the bed and marched out the door downstairs to the backyard.

She was surprised to see a crying Fleur Delacour there.

Fleur looked up at the sound of the back door closing behind Anya and the American witch could see the tear tracks on the other girl's face. "Oh! Anya..." Fleur quickly wiped at her eyes as she turned away. When she turned back, the biggest- and most fake- smile was on her face. "I was not expecting you. Shouldn't you be asleep upstairs?"

Anya looked down at her watch. "Umm... It's only eight-thirty."

"Oh," Fleur replied as she looked away again.

"Is everything alright?" Anya asked politely, but she already knew the answer to her own question. Ginny was always one to express how she felt no matter who heard it and she could only imagine how difficult it must be for Fleur to know that her future in-laws liked her about as much as a flubberworm.

"It's alright," the blonde answered, but Anya saw the tears begin to form again. And the next thing she knew, she had her arms wrapped around a crying Fleur as she comforted her.

"It's going to be alright," Anya repeated over and over again. "It's just going to take some time."

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><p><em><strong>MMM: That's all, folks! Don't forget to review! And don't forget to go onto my page here on fanfiction to vote for the sequel! Anya's future is in your hands, people!<strong>_

_**Nancy (aka megamatchmaker)**_


	64. Year 6 Ch2

_**MMM: Hey there, everyone! So I know it's been a while since I've done any updating on When Opposites Attract, so I decided to take care of that today. I've been having more problems with my computer- can't access the internet now- so I'm borrowing my dad's and I have to make it quick. So here it goes!**_

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><p><strong>Ch. 64 Joke Shops &amp; Odd Stops<strong>

Anya couldn't remember the last time she'd seen so much excitement and joy in a store before, not even in Honeydukes sweet shop. Everywhere she looked, witches and wizards of all ages were trying out the products out on display in Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes shop. There were things like puking pastilles and decoy detonators, Peruvian instant darkness powders and daydream charms, even some muggle magic tricks and love potions. Anya thought that it was just what the doctor ordered- the perfect distraction from all the mayhem that was out there.

"Anya!" The American looked back at who was calling her and she smiled up at her favorite British twins. With their spiky ginger hair and light-up bowties, they looked so perfect amongst all the laughter and light fun.

"Hey guys," she greeted them happily. "This place is amazing!"

"Thanks," they replied in their classic, surround-sound way. "Sorry we didn't get back to you sooner, but with the shop opening, we didn't have any time," George told her.

"No prob," Anya said. "I could only imagine how crazy it must have been." With the Death Eaters attacking most of the shops in Diagon Alley only a few weeks ago, it was a miracle that Fred and George were even able to open the shop, and here they were with business booming. Most people were afraid of setting foot out their front door, let alone go to where the most recent Death Eater attack was. But then again, Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes was the one place that people could escape from reality if only for a little while.

"That reminds me Georgie," Fred suddenly announced. "Why don't you give Anya our special surprise for her?"

"Capital idea, Fred," George grinned before he pulled a small box out of his jacket pocket and handed it over to the witch. Anya pulled the lid off and found a ring sitting on the cushion inside. The ring's surface was a oval amethyst about half the size of her thumb, circled by a ring of twisted silver, and the band of it had swirling patterns going along the outside.

"Wow guys. This is really nice," Anya said as she pulled the ring out to further examine it.

"Give it a try," Fred encouraged her. With a smile, she slipped it onto her left middle finger. It looked great against her many silver/black bracelets and the metallic purple nail polish she had on.

"Pretty cool, and now I can flip people off with style," she grinned. When she looked back at them to give her thanks, she was faced with a wand.

"_Expelliarmus!_" Anya let out a squeak of terror and held her hands up to attempt to block the attack, eyes clenched tight. But when she heard the twins laughing, she realized that the spell hadn't hit her. Opening her eyes, Anya looked down at herself to see that nothing had happened.

"What the hell?" Anya exclaimed. Once she was over the initial shock, she marched up to the twins and smacked them both upside the head. "You jerks! You nearly gave me a friggin' heart attack!" Still ticked off, she smacked them again.

"Ow! Easy there, Anya! We were only showing you your new gift's ability!" George cried out, massaging the tender spot on the back of his head.

"What are you talking about?" Anya huffed.

"Look at your ring," Fred told her.

When she looked down at the ring, she noticed something that it definetely wasn't doing before. The stone appeared to be glowing and the glow was the same blue-white that Anya had only ever seen as people would cast the spell she'd just been faced with two seconds ago. It was as if someone had just took the spell and shoved it into her ring.

"You know how we developped those hat shields, right?" Fred asked. Anya nodded, remembering the various hats she'd seen near the front of the shop. "Well, those are only made to deflect things like curses ans jinxes-"

"But Fred and I figured out a way where one can aborb the spell fired at them at use it to their own advantage," George finished for his brother.

"How do you do that?" Anya asked, wondering how on earth they could figure out something like that.

"Simple- here," Fred began as he came up to stand right behind her. "Alright now, pick a target." Anya looked around and saw an empty stand in the corner of the room. "Once you do, you point your hand at the target and focus. Imagine that your sending the spell at it yourself." Anya raised her fist at the stand, pointing her ring towards it as she focused. She stood like that for a few seconds but nothing happened.

Feeling like a fool, she lowered her arm and crossed both over her chest and turned back. "I don't think this thing's-" she began to say, but was soon cut off.

The spark of light suddenly fired out of the ring and hit the Weasley twin right in the gut. He let out a loud gasp of pain as he was shot off his feet and flew backwards, landing right on George. The two brothers fell back on the ground and created a loud crash. Everyone in the shop looked to see what had happened and let out a laugh at how ridiculous they both looked before going back to what they were doing.

"Oh my God, are you guys alright?" Anya asked worriedly as she rushed over to help them back up. She'd seen the effects of that particular spell before, but this seemed as if it had been magnified. She looked down at her hand. "I honestly thought this was some kind of prank thing you guys cooked up. I didn't think it would actually work like that!"

"It's alright," Fred groaned as he picked himself up. "Guess it's just a little slow from first time use."

"Damn," Anya mumbled. "But how come it looked a lot stronger than most times?" she asked.

"We added a little booster charm in while we were making it," George explained as he got up to his feet. "Freddy boy, I think you need to lay off on Mum's cooking. You're getting too heavy."

"Me? You're one to talk, Mr. Thirds!" Fred teased.

Anya just laughed. How a couple of grown men act like three year-olds and make it not look completely ridiculous was beyond her.

"How much is this, anyway?" Anya interrupted, wiggling her fingers to emphasize her question.

The twins stopped in their bickering long enough to tell her it was a late gift for her birthday before returning their attention to each other. Anya shook her head before walking away, shouting her thanks back on deaf ears.

Anya looked around a little bit longer, checking out some of the products around the shop. She noticed Ginny and Hermione standing over by the love potion stand and Anya giggled at the adorable pink pygmy puff that was resting on the redhead's shoulder.

"He's so cute!" Anya gushed over the small puffball of a creature. The pygmy puff started purring as she rubbed at the top of its head with her finger. She then looked at the glass vial in Hermione's hands. "You're not seriously thinking of buying one of those things, are you?"

"And may we ask why not?" The sound of red and George's voice came from behind them. Anya wondered how they could switch moods so quickly in such short time spans. It was a little freaky. "They really do work," Fred said.

"What? You tried them on each other before buying them?" Anya joked. But she couldn't deny that products from the WonderWitch line were very popular. She couldn't count the amount of times she'd used their fabulous ten-second pimple vanisher cream in the past.

The twins ignored her joke. "But by the way we hear it, you're just doing fine on your own," George told Ginny.

"Meaning?" the only Weasley daughter asked.

"Are you not currently dating Dean Thomas?" Fred questioned. Anya noticed how at the mention of Ginny's love interest, Harry's face seem to have fallen. It didn't take a genius to know that Harry had feelings for his best friend's little sister. And of course, being the kind of guy he is, Harry would never admit his feelings if she was already seeing someone. Typical.

"It's none of your business," Ginny laughed as she walked away.

"Come on, you guys. Let's find Ron, huh?" Anya suggested as she pulled Harry and Hermione away from the love potions. As they left it, she noticed one of the girls she had shared dorm rooms with for the last several years had been walking towards them. Romilda Vane had made it very obvious on many occassions that she had a thing for Harry and it didn't look like those feelings had changed. Anya felt an uneasy feeling in her gut when she noticed the dark haired girl eyeing the love potions with a wicked smile. _'Gonna have to watch out for that one,'_ Anya thought.

,:~:,

But it didn't look like the only one she'd have to watch out for was Romilda. Because as the Golden Quartet was about to walk out the door, another fellow Gryffindor girl let out a breathy "Hi Ronald," as they passed by and Anya noticed Lavender Brown duck her head. If she thought that Lucy Heller, her worst enemy back in the States, was an airhead, Lavender made the other blonde look like a genius. With all the squealing and giggling Lavender did, it was a miracle that the girl ever got anything done.

Stepping out of the shop, Anya and the others felt the gloom and doom feeling coming back at full force. Half of Diagon Alley had been shut down when the Death Eaters had attacked. Glass still littered the cobblestone street from the shattered windows, while the charred remains of a few of the little shops looked like they were ready to let go at any moment. Anya had to resist the urge to run back into the joke shop to escape the misery again.

"How are Fred and George doing it? Half the alley's closed down," Hermione stated.

"Fred and George reckon people need a good laugh these days," Ron replied.

"True that," Anya muttered as she followed closely behind them. It was sad to see places like Madam Malkin's robe shop was closed, along with Mr. Ollivander's wand shop and the Quality Quidditch supplies shop.

Stepping into the ruined remains of the wand shop, Anya thought about all the memories this store must have held. How many families had came in through that door and watched as their son received his first wand? What kind of pride did they have when their little girl was officially accepted into the world of magic? She remembered how wonderful it felt to find her wand. She rubbed her arms, feeling the slender piece of ash wood tucked away up her sleeve.

There was no doubt that Anya was very grateful for the wizarding world. It was because of it that she had such wonderful friends here and felt like she was normal. But there was a small part that wondered what her life would be like if she never knew about magic. Would she have been completely ignorant of the events happening? Just chalk them up as strange accurances and brush them off just as quickly? What if she was staring real magic right in the face? Would she have believed it or thought it was mere children's fairy tales?

"Harry? Is it just me or do Draco and Mummy look like two people who really don't want to be followed?" Ron spoke up. Quickly turning on her heel, Anya looked through the window to see Mrs. Malfoy and her son walking through the empty street towards the entrance leading to Knockturn Alley, the darker and more threatening version of Diagon Alley.

Draco Malfoy. Now there was a name that Anya hated with a passion. Most of the kids at Hogwarts called him the Slytherin Prince, and it fit- he was the worst snake of them all. Gryffindors and Slytherins hated each other naturally but like most girls in the school, Anya fell for those silver-grey eyes and smooth words. Biggest mistake ever! Anya had truly believed that somewhere underneath all that pureblood status was an actual human being, that she could have changed him to be a decent guy. And the second she put her trust in him, he turns around and betrays her at the drop of a hat. But what had she really expected? The entire Malfoy bloodline was full of liars and deceptionists.

"Come on. Let's check it out," Anya said before ducking out the door with the others right behind her.

,:~:,

"Is that seriously the best you could do, Hermione?" Anya asked the brunette as she stepped back out of the shop. After seeing what the Malfoys were so clearly interested in- some strange old cabinet that didn't look like much- Anya and the others decided to investigate and Hermione was chosen to head into Borgins & Burks to see if she could find out exactly what was so special about it. But the shop owner hadn't believed her 'interested client' persona and kicked her out.

"I don't see why it had to have been me anyway," Hermione defended herself. "I mean out of all of us here, you fit the bill for someone who would shop here, Anya." She gestured at the black jeans, long sleeved netfish shirt and dark purple tank top underneath, and the black leather boots. And with her eyes heavily lined with black eyeliner and shadow, Anya did look very much the part. "Not to mention you're far better lying than I am."

Anya rolled her violet eyes. "I won't deny that, but seriously Hermione! You sounded like some doe-eyed little school girl! Not someone interested in the dark arts! No wonder he didn't fall for it."

"Well, why don't you give it a try Anya?" Ron suggested.

Anya sighed as she walked back the way they came. "Because Ron, the guy's gonna know something is up when two completely new people that have never once stepped foot into his shop asking about an item that one of the most wealthy pureblood wizard families comes in to see about only minutes before!"

"So what do you think Malfoy is so interested in that cabinet for anyway?" Harry wondered.

Suddenly, a greasy looking man with shaggy, dirty clothes stepped out of the shadows, knife in hand and a sinister smirk on his face. "Hand over your money and leave the ladies," he sneered. Hermione cringed away into Ron's side who gently pulled her behind him to defend her.

Harry was about to do the same for Anya but before he could reach out to her, she stepped back far enough to swing her foot high, kicking the knife out of the man's hand. When he was disarmed, she grabbed him by his jacket and yanked him forward, headbutting him right in the nose. A sickening crunch of bone shattering filled the air and Anya let the man's jacket go. He fell to the ground unconcious with blood slowly seeping out of his broken nose.

Anya looked back at them and gave a calm shrug. "No clue," she replied to Harry's question earlier before continuing up the path as if she hadn't just been threatened of being robbed and possibly raped, picking up the blade and throwing it in the nearest trash bin as she went.

"You know... I take back what I said back in first year," Ron whispered as they hurried after the American. "You may be a little scary sometimes, Hermione... But Anya can be _very _terrifying." The others nodded in agreement.

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><p><em><strong>MMM: Well, another one's done. Luckily, I can still access my e-mails on my Kobo, and I'd be happy to get more reviews. So please, don't forget to hit that little button at the bottom of your screen. Please?<strong>_

_**Nancy (aka megamatchmaker)**_


	65. Year 6 Ch3

_**MMM: The poll is closed and the votes are in! And there is going to be a sequel after all! Which is great 'cause there are some things I REALLY want to write but they don't work for anything else except a sequel. And let's give a big shout-out for Anya for her birthday! If we're going by her age in the story, then she is now sweet 16, but she's still my baby girl at a grand total of 2 years old.**_

_**AC: *whines* Nancy! *blushes***_

_**HP, RW, HG: HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANYA!**_

_**AC: Thanks you guys!**_

_**MMM: Now, on with the chapter!**_

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><p><strong>Ch. 65 Hogwarts... Safe?<strong>

The last few days of summer went by with as much drama as there could possibly be in one's life. As if it weren't bad that Anya had to be the referee between Ginny's temper towards Fleur which was a battle that she was losing terribly in, Harry had become convinced that Malfoy had become a Death Eater and the cabinet in Borgins & Burks had something to do with it.

Now normally, Anya would agree with what Harry said. He'd been right a good amount of the time and it would have only made sense if he was right again. But the idea of Draco Malfoy being a Death Eater? It was just too crazy to be true.

But no matter how many times she told Harry this, he refused to budge.

"Harry, come off it!" Anya sighed in annoyance as she flopped back in her seat, watching the scenery go by. "Do you even hear what you're saying?"

"I'm telling you, Draco Malfoy is one of them!" Harry insisted. "If he wasn't, then why would he be in Borgins & Burks for? Just browsing for furniture?"

"It's a creepy shop and he's a creepy bloke," Ron offered as a suggestion.

Harry shook his head. "Anya, you knew Malfoy better than all of us. You honestly think that he isn't a Death Eater?"

Anya shrugged as she twisted her ring around her finger. "Doubt it. I mean sure, yeah- there is the _tiniest_ chance, but for that to actually be even _remotely_ possible, Voldemort would have to set his standards so low that they'd be six feet under," she joked. "For all we know, he really was just browsing for furniture. Who knows?" She hoped that she could turn away from the subject. Sure, she still hated Malfoy and she'd sooner go up against a Hungarian Horntail before forgiving him, but she didn't like talking about the idea of him being a Death Eater.

Unfortunately, it seemed to have the opposite effect and instead made Harry even more convinced to prove that he was right. He began to go on and on about how Lucius Malfoy had been a Death Eater and that it would have only made sense if his son followed in his footsteps. Eventually, Anya had enough on the subject and got up to go get some air. The noise in the pathway was too loud for her liking and so she decided to go out to the end of the train to relax for a while. Watching the world go by was just so peaceful that Anya couldn't help but start singing.

_I hope you never lose your sense of wonder_  
><em>You get your fill to eat<em>  
><em>But always keep that hunger<em>  
><em>May you never take one single breath for granted<em>  
><em>God forbid love ever leave you empty handed<em>  
><em>I hope you still feel small<em>  
><em>When you stand beside the ocean<em>  
><em>Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens<em>  
><em>Promise me you'll give faith a fighting chance<em>

_And when you get the choice to sit it out or __dance_

_I hope you dance_  
><em>I hope you dance<em>

_I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance_  
><em>Never settle for the path of least resistance<em>  
><em>Living might mean taking chances<em>  
><em>But they're worth taking<em>  
><em>Lovin' might be a mistake<em>  
><em>But it's worth making<em>  
><em>Don't let some hell bent heart<em>  
><em>Leave you bitter<em>  
><em>When you come close to selling out<em>  
><em>Reconsider<em>  
><em>Give the heavens above<em>  
><em>More than just a passing glance<em>  
><em>And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance<em>  
><em>I hope you dance<em>  
><em>(Time is a real and constant motion always)<em>  
><em>I hope you dance<em>  
><em>(Rolling us along)<em>  
><em>I hope you dance<em>  
><em>(Tell me who)<em>  
><em>I hope you dance<em>  
><em>(Wants to look back on their youth and wonder)<em>

_(Where those years have gone)_

_I hope you still feel small_  
><em>When you stand beside the ocean<em>  
><em>Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens<em>  
><em>Promise me you'll give faith a fighting chance<em>

_And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance_  
><em>Dance<em>  
><em>I hope you dance<em>  
><em>I hope you dance<em>  
><em>(Time is a real and constant motion always)<em>  
><em>I hope you dance<em>  
><em>(Rolling us along)<em>  
><em>I hope you dance<em>  
><em>(Tell me who)<em>  
><em>(Wants to look back on their youth and wonder)<em>  
><em>I hope you dance<em>  
><em>(Where those years have gone)<em>

_(Tell me who)_  
><em>I hope you dance<em>  
><em>(Wants to look back on their youth and wonder)<em>  
><em>(Where those years have gone)<em>

The sound of clapping surprised Anya and she turned around to see a short, squat man with a shiny bald head and one hell of a thick silvery moustache. His lavish, old-fashioned waistcoat barely closed properly over his large belly and his prominent eyes seemed to twinkle with excitement. Truth be told, Anya was a little creeped out.

"That was simply wonderful, my dear!" the man gushed. "Such immense talent!"

"Umm... Thank you?" she said.

"Oh, do beg my pardon! How foolish of me!" he laughed before holding out a large hand. "Horace E.F. Slughorn- I am the new professor to Hogwarts- well actually, I'm a returning professor. Coming out of retirement, you know."

"Oh!" Anya felt herself flush as she accepted his hand. "I'm so sorry, sir. I'm Anya Collins."

"Ah yes! The American muggleborn!" Anya felt even more embarrassed. "Yes, I've heard a great many things about you, young lady." That was a bit of a surprise. "Young Mr. Potter spoke quite highly of you: said you had a great many talents- most being in the arts. I am very greatful to have seen for myself just how right he was."

"I'm sorry Professor, but you know Harry?" Anya asked.

"Yes. Met him just a few weeks ago. Nice lad," Slughorn said. Then he sighed and gave another large smile. "Well, I'd best be off. We'll be arriving at the school in a short while and I still need to round up some of the students." And with that, he left.

Anya stood there for another moment before she decided it was time to head back to get ready. When she got there, Hermione was the only one in the compartment. "Where are the guys?" Anya asked.

Hermione shrugged as she slipped on her black robes. "Ron went to the boys room to go change and Harry left not long after you did. Said something about getting some air himself. I figured he went after you."

Anya shook her head as she began to change. "Didn't see him. Met our new DA teach though."

"Professor Slughorn?" Hermione asked. "Harry just told us about him."

"Told us about who?" Ron asked as he came back into the compartment. Anya took his moment of distraction to quickly yank her school shirt on fast.

"Don't you ever knock?" Anya hissed in embarrassment. She looked over her shoulder to see that he was as bright red as she probably was.

"Sorry," he mumbled.

,:~:,

There was still no sign of Harry as the train pulled into Hogsmeade station. Anya knew in her gut that his sudden disappearing act had to do something with Malfoy. She wanted to go after him to snap some kind of sense into him, but where could she possibly start looking? By the time she would find the compartment the Slytherins were in, they'd probably be off the train and half way up to the school. And even if she did find them, how would she find Harry without tipping off that he was spying on the Malfoy heir?

But then again, maybe she was just over-reacting. For all she knew, Harry had simply ran into some of their other friends, got to talking, and lost track of time. Determined not to let it get to her, she followed the rest of the students on to the landing and towards the carriages.

She was surprised to see Tonks there.

Normally, the older Metamorphmagus witch had a much more lively appearance, with bright colors in her hair and amusing tricks up her sleeves. But now, she looked as though someone had sucked all the life out of her. Her hair was incredibly short and a mousy brown color, and she looked a very unhealthy thin. Anya figured that it must have been the stress of Sirius' death last year taking its toll on her.

"Tonks," Anya spoke up as she walked over to the other witch. "What's going on here?" she asked, noticing the several other armed witches and wizards that were patrolling the platform.

"The Ministry's tightened up the security at all the schools," Tonks replied, her dark eyes scanning over the hundreds of heads that walked by.

"Oh," Anya mumbled. She understood that it was for their safety, but she didn't like the fact that the security was necessary. It only meant that things were getting worse.

Suddenly, Anya felt someone grab at her carry-on bag. "Hey pal! Watch with the hands!" she barked at the wizard.

The man had to have been six feet easy, with a build that most professional football players would train for months to get. His eyes were ice blue and just as cold as he stared down at her. "Hand it over," he ordered in a gruff voice. He didn't wait for her to answer and began tugging on the bag again, Anya putting up just as much of a fight as he was.

"I've got this one, Thorne," Tonks growled at him. 'Thorne' gave her a look before he shoved the bag back at Anya, making the poor girl stumble backwards. He grumbled something about 'dumb witches' as he stomped away. Tonks sighed before turning back to the American. "Sorry about him. He doesn't get along with most people."

"Yeah- not shit," Anya mumbled as she rubbed at her shoulder. "What was that all about?"

"The Minsitry's ordered for searches of all the luggage before it gets sent up to the school," Tonks replied as she held out her hand. "May I?" Anya handed her bag over dutifully. "I'm real sorry about this Anya, but we can't be too careful and even though I know you well enough, but we can't afford to show favoritism," Tonks apologized as she went through the bag.

"No prob Tonks- I understand," Anya said. "And it makes sense: if kids can smuggle drugs and stuff into school back home, why can't witches and wizards try to smuggle dark magic objects in here?"

"You smuggled drugs into your old school?" Tonks asked in appaul.

"God no! I don't even know the way to tell the difference from weed and oregano!" Anya replied quickly, holding her hands up in defense. "Can you imagine if I ever did and my parents found out? They would hit the roof!"

Tonks nodded in agreement before continuing with her 'search'. Once she saw that there wasn't anything suspicious in the bag, not that she had expected to find anything anyway, she handed it back to the girl. "Well, I need to get going."

"Wait a sec, Tonks!" Anya stopped the older witch. "Have you by any chance seen Harry anywhere?"

"You mean Harry Potter?" Tonks asked. Anya nodded. "Sorry, no. Haven't seen him. Why? I thought you were all best mates."

"We are. But Harry had gone for a walk hours ago and we haven't seen him since. Would you do me a favor and keep an eye open for him?" Anya asked.

"Sure thing," Tonks replied before walking away.

,:~:,

Anya was getting more and more worried with each passing minute when Harry didn't show up. The sorting had already finished- not that it would have lasted long with those few first-years who had actually come to Hogwarts- and the main meal had been devoured. She and Hermione were both sitting nervously at Gryffindor table with their eyes open for their friend while Ron was oblivious as ever as he continued to shovel food down his throat. If it weren't for her stress level being so high, Anya would have laughed when the brunette began to beat on Ron's shoulder with the textbook in her hands.

"Your best friend is missing!" Hermione hissed at the boy.

"Turn around, you lunatic!" he told her. Both girls turned to see Harry making his way down to them, a bloody hankerchief held up to his face. Anya could see the faint coloring of a bruise along the bridge of his nose.

"What happened?" Hermione asked him as he sat down. "And what's happened to your face?"

"Later," Harry replied sharply, taking the cloth away to show a bleeding nose.

"Did someone hit you, Harry?" Anya asked worriedly as she slipped under the table and came up on the other side beside her injured friend. She reached out to touch him but pulled back with a grimace. "Damn, that looks painful," she said.

"Feels bloody worse," Harry mumbled. Anya quickly grabbed a clean napkin and dumped a handful of the ice from the ice cream buckets into it before carefully pressing it to the wounded area. "Thanks An- Ah!" he began to say but it ended in a groan of pain. While the numbing cold of the ice had worked its magic, Anya had muttered a quick spell to repair the broken nose. Anya had only practised it once on herself a few years back but she figured it was better than letting it set now only for him to have it broken again to reset it properly. "What was that for?" he hollered.

"You're welcome," Anya said sarcastically before turning to the teacher's table for Dumbledore's welcoming speech.

If it were only so.

The speech was as far from welcoming as it could get. Dumbledore talked about how one time, there had been a young wizard that had came to Hogwarts just like everyone else in there; how this student seemed as perfectly ordinary as any other his age. But things began to take a darker turn for the boy and he grew up to become the one wizard that most of the magical world feared- Voldemort. And what really chilled Anya to the bone was what Dumbledore said after that: how the greatest weapon that Voldemort and his followers had was the students themselves.

"Do you think it's true? What Dumbledore said about You-Know-Who?" Ron asked worriedly as the Golden Quartet followed the rest of their house up to Gryffindor tower. "Do you really think he'd use us to try and get into Hogwarts?"

Anya shrugged. "Wouldn't surprise me- he's a pathetic coward," she stated as she continued walking. Feeling three sets of eyes on the back of her head, Anya stopped and turned to see her friends standing like statues, mouths and eyes opened wide in shock. "What?" she asked. "Is there something on my face?" she rubbed at her cheek.

"You just called You-Know-Who a 'coward'," Ron gasped.

Anya shrugged again. "So what? He _is_ a coward," she repeated before walking back towards them. "I mean, think about it: the guy had to change his name and act like some pompous jackass, and when he met people that didn't believe in the same things that he did, he killed them or had his stupid Death Eaters do the job for him. So when I hear that he would sink low enough that he would be willing to use a bunch of kids to do his dirty work for him, yeah- I'll call him a coward because that is _exactly_ what he is."

,:~:,

Anya was walking through the empty halls of Hogwarts late at night. She had no real control of her body as she glided along, the cold of the stone floors biting into the soles of her bare feet. She didn't know what was going on: she only knew that something was pulling her towards somewhere and that somewhere was up on the seventh floor. She found herself remembering the familiar walk towards the wall where the door to the Room of Requirement was hidden.

Suddenly, she could hear footsteps. Fearing that it was a teacher on patrol, Anya found herself in control of her movements and she looked around for a place to hide but there was none. She looked down the hall to see Malfoy walking up to her. Anya felt fear and anger mix in her stomach as he approached, but those feeling melted into confusion when he walked right through her. She watched as he stood outside of the room before the door appeared and he walked right in, Anya closely behind him. But even with being right behind him as he entered, she lost him in the giant mess of lost and forgotten objects that littered the large room. All she could hear was sobbing. And when she rounded a corner, she'd see a flash of green light from above and looked up in time to see Dumbledore's body falling towards her.

Anya woke up in a cold sweat, searching around her frantically. She found herself in her bed up in the dorm room, Hermione and her other roommates sleeping peacefully. Anya sighed as she brushed her hair of her damp forehead. Climbing out of bed, she slipped into the bathroom and carefully shut the door behind her before turning on the light. Staring in the mirror, she saw her long auburn hair matted down against her head and neck with eyes wide and glassy from fear poking out from underneath. Taking a deep breath, Anya ran the cold water and splashed it against her face with shaky hands.

Anya had lost track with how many times this dream kept coming back in the past month and she didn't know why this was happening to her or what it meant. Was Malfoy up to no good or was he in trouble? Was Dumbledore going to die? If the dream didn't keep her up late at night, it was the thousands of questions that ran through her head. It had reached a point where Anya had to start taking sleeping pills or potions to help her get some rest at night.

Giving another great sigh, Anya grabbed an empty glass off the counter and filled it with water before slipping back into the room. Grabbing the vial of sleeping draught from the drawer of her bedside table, Anya dropped a few drops into the water to dilute it before chugging it all down in one gulp. Then she curled up under the covers in her bed and drifted back to sleep.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AC: DAMN! That one hell of a weird dream! Why did you do that?<strong>_

_**MMM: 'Cause it was important to the story and I wanted to be able to stretch it better. It worked!**_

_**AC: Well... yeah... But did you have to do this on my birthday?**_

_**MMM: Hey, you're just lucky that's all I did. Going to high school with Italians meant watching people getting egged and floured for their birthday (never happened to me since we were already on Christmas break by then and I never told anyone the actual date.)**_

_**Anyway, don't forget to read and review people! It's Anya's big sweet 16 after all! Oh, that reminds me! *pulls package out from hiding spot* Happy Birthday, sweetie!**_

_**AC: *tears through paper* You got me a Firebolt?! YAHOO! *grabs broom and takes off flying***_

_**MMM: Keep it to a low roar! And low height! I do live in a small part of town with MUGGLE neighbors!**_

_**Well, that's it for this chapter. Hope you all liked it. I had a good time writing it for you guys. :)**_

_**Nancy (aka megamatchmaker)**_

_**PS: Don't forget to REVIEW!**_


	66. Year 6 Ch4

_**MMM: I'm done with school now! YAY! OR at least, until the end of August. :) But either way, I'm gonna get to sleep in some more now. Anyway, I thought I'd celebrate by posting up a new chapter for When Opposites Attract. Hope you guys are still liking the story. Now that I've got some problems with my computer that won't allow me internet access (I'm borrowing my dad's laptop) I've been writing a lot (still can access wordpad and all that). Luckily, I've almost got year 6 completed (1 chapter left to write) and I've got all of year 7 planned out on paper. It's gonna be really good.**_

_**AC: Well, now that that's over and done with, can we get back to the actual story now, please? I've barely done a thing in the past several months!**_

_**MMM: Of course! Let's go!**_

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><p><strong>Ch. 66 Slughorn<strong>

Anya sighed as she zoned in and out of Slughorn's speech. As it turned out, the squat old wizard was not the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher but returning to his original post as potions master. Anya groaned at the thought of spending an hour every week with Snape as the new DADA teacher. But she figured that it was bitter-sweet since no teacher ever lasted longer than one year in that post so it wouldn't be long before Snape left like all the others. And the best part was that maybe now, she'd have a better chance at getting 'outstandings' in her N.E.W.T.s for potions without such a creep of a teacher grading her.

Didn't change the fact that the theory part of the class was a total snooze-fest or that they were still stuck with the Slytherins for the year.

Anya glanced down at her watch for the tenth time to see that hardly five minutes had passed by. Letting out a sigh, she tugged her black robes off and draped it over a nearby chair before she began to flip through her potions book again.

Suddenly, the door to the classroom opened and Anya looked up to see Harry and Ron walking in. Slughorn turned around to see his visitors. "Ah! Harry, my boy! Was wondering when you'd show up. And it looks like your brought someone with you." It was rather amusing to see Ron try to dodge out of the class, saying how he was a menace when it came to potions. Not that he wasn't being honest- he was terrible. But it looked like misery- aka Harry- loved company- aka Ron. It was even more amusing when she watched from the corner of her eye when the two fought over something in the cupboard.

"Now as I was saying, I whipped up a few concoctions this morning. Any ideas as to what they may be?" Slughorn continued with the lesson.

As to no one's surprise, Hermione's hand was the first one up. The brunette stepped up to the table and began to explain the three main potions bubbling in the cauldrons. When she began to explain the love potion, Anya scoffed.

That seemed to catch Slughorn's attention. "Is there something troubling you, Ms. Collins?" he asked her.

Anya shrugged. "Nothing... I just find the whole idea of love potions to be so over-rated. I mean, how can you actually call it 'love'? You know that it's not the other person's real feelings towards you- it's just something that you forced on them. Honestly, I just think the idea of love is over-rated. What can you get out of it except pain and a total waste of time?" she argued. From the corner of her eye, Anya saw Draco Malfoy fidget where he stood. It didn't take a rocket scientist to know she was talking about him.

If Slughorn noticed the tension in the room, he didn't voice it. Instead, he continued to talk about the love potion and how dangerous it was. Anya hardly contained a snort of laughter when she noticed how the other girls in the room- other than Hermione and herself- started inching closer to the table, sniffing at the scents that came from the mini cauldron. The potion was rumored to smell what attracts the person most and Anya could catch the faint whiffs of gardenias and... hair gel. She scowled at that last part.

"Sir? You haven't told us what's in that one," one of the Gryffindor girls stated when the lid on the love potion was closed, effectively breaking the trance. The fourth potion was the color of melted gold and large gobs kept jumping from the cauldron like dolphins before diving back in.

The potion in question was known to be Felix Felicis, aka liquid luck: a very tricky potion to make that could lead to seriously dangerous problems if the slightest mistake is made in the process. But when made properly, it gave the drinker so much luck that all their goals would be successful.

And that was what Slughorn was offering as the reward for the day's lesson: whoever made the best Sleeping Draft by the end of class would receive a twelve hours-worth vial of Felix Felicis.

The Golden Quartet grabbed a table together and began to work. Anya poured over the recipe a few times before she began to work on it, carefully cutting up the ingredients and pouring them into the simmering cauldron. Things went perfectly up until the sopophorous beans: beans with a very hard shell that made them nearly impossible to cut open.

"Sorry," Anya blushed with embarrassment when the bean she'd been trying to cut open shot out from under the blade of her knife and smacked someone in the head across the room. She ran her fingers through her hair before grabbing a fresh bean to try again. She looked up for a moment to see Harry easily pouring the juice from the bean into his cauldron. "How'd you do that?" she asked.

"You crush it, don't cut," he replied as he continued working.

"No, the instructions specifically say to cut," Hermione said.

"No offense, Hermione, but Harry seems to have the better trick," Anya commented before turning to the wizard. "How do you crush them anyway?" she asked, holding the item in question. She tried squeezing it with her fingers, but it was like trying to crack open a walnut.

"Take the side of the blade and lay it against the bean," Harry instructed. Anya followed the orders and applied a little pressure. A small crunch sounded as the bean dripped of its juices. "That's it."

"Cool trick," Anya smiled as she poured the liquid into her cauldron. "Thanks."

She continued working silently for a while and when she looked up, she noticed how Hermione seemed became even more stressful with each passing moment. The witch's brown locks were even frizzier than usual and Anya was sure she was going to start crying the way she was stirring at her cauldron. "Hermione? Are you... alright?" she asked worriedly. The brunette said nothing and continued to work frantically. "Hermione?" Again, there was no reply. Anya reached across the table and grabbed hold of the witch's wrist. "Hermione!"

"What?!" Hermione nearly screamed. Everyone looked in their direction and Hermione ducked her head in embarrassment. "Sorry," she whispered.

"Hermione, you need to calm down. You're freaking out," Anya commented.

"I just want this potion to be perfect," Hermione said.

Anya peered into the cauldron to see the potion was turning the desired clear color it was normally suppose to be. "It looks fine. Why are you stressing so much?" She looked over at Harry's potion to see his was also clear as water and surprisingly, he seemed perfectly calm. "See? Even Harry's not freaking out." That made her curious. "Why _aren't_ you freaking out anyway?" she asked him.

Harry just gave a shrug. "Guess I'm just a... late developper in potions," he replied.

Whatever the case was, it sure seemed to impress Slughorn. When he came around to check each of the potions, he began to praise about how perfect Harry's was- how one drop would probably kill them all. A disheveled Hermione was clearly not pleased with being shown up by someone. Harry was presented with his prize and they were all dismissed.

"Nice job in there, Harry," Anya grinned as they walked into the Great Hall for lunch. "I didn't realize you were so good in potions."

"Anya... can I tell you a secret?" Harry asked, pulling on her arm to stop her from continuing on with the others. He waited until she nodded. "It wasn't really me."

"OK...?" she said in confusion.

"See for yourself," he said as he passed the very worn down copy of _Advanced Potion-Making_ he'd taken from the cupboard. Anya took it and began to flip through it. On every page, in every margarin, were notes scribbled in black ink. Spells and charms, replacement steps for different potions, and every thing else under the sun. There wasn't a single space clear of writing. Flipping to the end of the book, Anya saw something written on the back cover: _'This book is property of the Half-Blood Prince'_.

"Who's the Half-Blood Prince?" she asked as she handed the book back.

"Don't know," Harry replied.

"Well, don't let Hermione find out about that book," Anya told him. "She'll probably tell you that you should turn it in or start up some crazy search about this Half-Blood Prince."

,:~:,

The first month back to school was relatively calm. Other than the Aurors patrolling the grounds day in and day out, things were about as normal as could be considering that it was Hogwarts.

"Anya?" Hermione spoke up from her seat on her bed. "Have you noticed something... different with Harry lately?"

Anya stopped in mid-brush stroke before giving a shrug. "Not really. I mean, sure- he's been a little more stressful lately, but what do you expect? With his thinking that Malfoy is now a Death Eater, Voldemort's slow return to power, studying for the N.E.W.T.s like the rest of us and being the new captain of Gryffindor's quidditch team, it's only normal that a guy's nerves are a little more frayed than most. Why?"

"It's just something to do with his new talent in potions. Harry may be good, but he's never been _this_ good! I'm positive that something's up!" Hermione declared.

Anya could feel her heart beating rapidly in her chest. She hated lying to her friends- Hermione most of all- but she had promised Harry that she wouldn't say anything to anyone. "Maybe he just did some studying over summer break," she suggested only to silently curse herself at how stupid the words had sounded as they slipped past her lips.

The brunette looked up at the American and her brown eyes tried to catch violet ones in the mirror but Anya seemed to look everywhere except in her direction. Then, it clicked. "You know something, don't you?"

"I happen to know a lot of things," Anya played it off cool. "Like for instance, I know how to properly perform CPR and what to do when someone is having an epileptic shock."

"You know exaclty what I'm talking about, Anya Jasmine Collins!" Anya flinched at the use of her full name. "Now tell me what you know right now."

Anya sighed as she tied up her hair in a high ponytail before sitting on the end of the bed as she began to braid it. "Alright... But before you get all ticked off at me for not saying anything, let it be known that Harry asked me not to say anything and you know that when I give my word about something, I never go back on it. Because you know how important it is to me about people keeping their promise-"

"Stop stalling and tell me the truth," Hermione interrupted her.

Anya sighed again before she began telling the other witch about the strange book that Harry had found. And the more she explained, the more appalled Hermione seemed to become. "I'm sure that it's nothing. I know I sometimes make a few quick scribbles in some of my books myself, so I doubt that we need to worry-"

"Are you forgetting the last time some mysterious book dropped into our laps?" Hermione cut her off. "Does the name 'Tom Riddle' ring a bell?"

Anya rolled her eyes as she stood back up and walked over to her chest at the foot of her bed. "You see? This is exactly how I knew you'd react when you found out about it. And for your information, I haven't forgotten about that diary. It's kind of hard to forget about the apparition sixteen-year old version of Voldemort that lived in a diary for fifty years taking possession of an eleven-year old and letting loose a giant killer snake." She yanked on a thick sweater over her head.

"Harry should turn that book in to a teacher. We have no idea how dangerous it could be!" Hermione insisted.

Anya rolled her eyes again as she continued getting ready. "So you're saying that all books are bad now? This is ridiculous! One bad experience with a pre-owned book does not mean that all books are dangerous. You're just being paranoid!"

The brunette scoffed. "Oh yes, by all means! Let's just be ignorant and wait for something terrible to happen! That's really smart thinking, Anya!" she bit out sarcastically.

Anya's fingernails dug into her palms so deeply, she was sure they'd start bleeding. Taking a deep breath, she calmly closed her trunk before turning around to face her friend. "Hermione," she began with a sigh as she sat down on the large travel box, "I know what you're getting at- you're worried that something might happen because of that potions book and you want to protect our friends. So do I. I would go to any and all lengths to make sure that your guys are safe. That's why the day Harry got that book, I had Tonks check it out for any bad vibes. She did a few spells but nothing popped up- said it was perfectly fine." She gave a smile at the surprised look on Hermione's face before standing back up. "Told you there was nothing to worry about," she giggled.

Hermione sat on her bed for a minute in silence. "I'm sorry for snapping at you like that," she apologized.

Anya waved it off. "No biggie." She grabbed her broomstick before heading towards the door. "And now if you'll excuse me, I've gotta run. Harry will kill me if I'm late for the tryouts."

Hermione jumped up from her bed to go with. "You're trying out for the team this year? What about the music club?"

"That got canceled. Flitwick decided to end it since hardly anyone signed up this year. And I'm not so much 'trying out' for the team as I am 'watching the tryouts'. The school's trying out the idea of co-captains for the quidditch teams and Harry suggested me," Anya smirked.

,:~:,

_'Well, it was more like Harry had to _beg_ me,' _Anya thought as she and Hermione hurried towards the stadium. With their being such great friends, Harry had figured that her and Anya would work better together than any other partner the school would have given him. The idea had been very appealing to the American from the moment she heard about it, but like any other sister-like great friend, she wanted to tease him about it. It took the promise of three whole bags of sugary treats from Honeydukes to 'convince' her to say yes.

The new recruits were most of the members that had been part of the team last year along with some new faces. Everyone was clamoring for a semi-decent broom, chattering about what post they wanted or bragging about being the better player. The only one who seemed to terrified to even move was Ron.

Anya sighed in frustration when she heard Harry try to get everyone's attention but couldn't really be heard over the buzz. Hell, she could barely hear him and she was standing directly beside him. Seeing this was getting no where fast, she put her two fingers in the corners of her mouth and let out a loud and sharp whistle which quickly got them their audience. "That's better," she smirked before turning to Harry. "All yours," she told him as she leaned against her broom. She listened as Harry explained the few drills that they'd gone over about last night before she got on her broom and followed the others up into the air. There, she stayed close to Harry and observed as the students gave their all.

"Ginny's got really good potential," Anya commented after the tryouts, going over the list of names. "She's quick and she can dodge attacks better than anyone I've ever seen before. And she can always sub in for seeker if you're ever busy with school work during a match," she added.

"Yeah, she's a definite keeper," Harry said as he scribbled her name on the list of final choices. Anya hid her knowing smile in her mug of hot chocolate. She figured he was talking about more than just quidditch. The dark haired wizard looked up and saw the glint in Anya's violet eyes. "What?"

Anya shrugged with a smile. "Nothing. And speaking of keepers," she continued, reaching back for the list. "You still need to choose one." She noticed Harry fidget with nerves. "Come on Harry. You know you have to pick one. So who's it gonna be- Ron or McLaggen? You know who I'm going for," she said as she tossed the paper back to him.

"But it'll look like Ron got it because we're both his friends," Harry stated.

"So what? You know Ron is the better choice- he didn't miss any throws," Anya told him as she sorted through the papers before them. "Sure, he may have blocked some of them a little... oddly," she continued, thinking back on the ways the redhead had stopped the quaffle with his chest... or his head at one point. "But never the less, he blocked _all_ of them. McLaggen may have caught the ball more gracefully, but that doesn't change the fact that he missed one. In the working world, they choose you by how good you are and you know as well as I do that the guy with the better percentage gets it," she finished. She leaned back against the couch and sighed. "Honestly, I don't see why we didn't just get it out of the way first."

Harry sighed before getting up off the floor and moved to sit on the couch. "It just feels like I'm giving Ron the 'best friend' card."

Anya couldn't help but laugh. "The 'best friend' card?" she giggled as she pulled herself up onto the couch and drapped her feet over the boy's lap. "What the hell is the 'best friend' card?"

Harry sighed again. "The 'best friend' card is what you call giving something to a friend because that's just what they are." He looked over to see the confused look on Anya's face. "It's like helping a friend cheat on an exam or homework because they are your friend. Does that make any more sense?" he asked.

"Hmm... Nope," Anya teased him before poking him in the stomach with her big toe.

"Then pretend you get it," Harry teased back before grabbing her ankle and proceeded to tickle her foot.

"You know something?" Anya gasped out when Harry finally stopped with the tickling assault. "I really don't get how Cormac McLaggen got into Gryffindor. I mean, he is practically the poster boy for Slytherins."

And it wasn't a lie. The seventh-year student was about as opposite of a Gryffindor as they came: arrogant, pig-headed, and self-serving. Cormac thought he was God's gift to mankind when he was really one of those incredibly ugly ties people get at Christmas and throw away the next day. Anya felt so sorry for Hermione, who as it turned out was the latest interest on Cormac's radar. Anya had heard the guy talking about how he pretty much just wanted to land the brunette since she was the only girl- other than Anya- who didn't go fawning over him like some love-sick puppy.

"Beats me," Harry shrugged before he reached for the paper on the table. "So... Ron it is then?"

Anya gave him a look. "Do you really have to ask?" she teased as she snatched the list out of his hand and grabbed the pen tucked behind her ear and wrote his name down in the post marked 'keeper'.

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><p><strong><em>MMM: Well, another chapter finished. So what did you guys think of this one? Please leave your comments below! I'm begging you here! READ &amp; REVIEW! Please? :'(<em>**

**_Nancy (aka megamatchmaker)_**


	67. Year 6 Ch5

_**MMM: Got another chapter up and ready for you guys! Nothing really special to say about this one. I've typed it, did the edit process, and am now ready to update. Simple as that. :)**_

_**AC: Good to hear! Let's get it started then!**_

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><p><strong>Ch. 67 Another Player Steps to the Plate<strong>

Just because Anya had set Hermione's mind at least about any possible dangers that the copy of _Advanced Potion-Making_ that Harry had, it hadn't deterred the brunette from finding out what she could about the anonymous Half-Blood Prince. So far, there was the possibility of it having of been someone who had been of half-blood status who was or related to royalty, someone who's last name _was _Prince and just used the term 'half-blood' to throw people off, or even someone who just made up some random name to avoid getting caught with writing in their textbook. Each theory sounded as odd as the last.

"I'm sure that it could very well be a girl who had own that book," Hermione insisted as the Golden Quartet followed their fellow students into Hogsmeade village one cold Saturday morning in November.

"And _I'm_ sure that it couldn't!" Ron shot back. "Why the bloody hell would a girl call herself 'Prince'? It's completely mental!"

"What's 'completely mental' is that here you guys are, wasting a perfectly good trip to Hogsmeade arguing about something as stupid as a book!" Anya shot at both of them, pulling her jacket closed tighter. "It doesn't matter who it belonged to because clearly they didn't care enough to make sure that they still had it before they graduated. Now here's what we're going to do: we're going to drop any and all subjects related to school books and potions and Half-Blood Princes and all that crap and actually _enjoy_ the day off. How does that sound?" She looked at the two bickering Gryffindors with her signature stare that dared them to challenge her.

"Sounds like a plan to me," Harry agreed instantly. He had seen first-hand just how dangerous it was to disagree with the American and the last thing he ever wanted was to have that wrath directed at him.

Anya gave him a great big smile as she skipped merrily over to his side. Looping her arm around his shoulders, she led/dragged him along the snowy path towards the tiny village, Hermione and Ron following closely behind them.

The four friends spent the next hour or so walking along the streets enjoying the lack of responsibility the day offered them. Anya hadn't felt this relaxed in so long and it felt really good to be getting back in their regular pattern. _This _was the childness fun that they had been denied for so long.

After playing in the snow, they decided to hop into the Three Broomsticks for a warm drink. The quaint little pub was packed with people and it was a miracle that they were able to even find a free table, let alone one for four people.

As Anya shrugged out of her coat, she spotted none other than Malfoy over at the counter. As if sensing eyes on him, the blonde looked back right at her and Anya could have sworn that he looked almost... sick. Sure, he was naturally pale- he was British and lived in a part of Europe that rarely had sun- but it looked like he'd been sprayed with bleached flour. Anya figured it was just the lighting and shrugged it off as she sat down.

"Something to drink?" Anya looked up and she nearly fell out of her chair when she saw their waiter.

_'Good Lord, he's smoking hot!'_ Anya thought. Bronze colored skin, perfect white teeth, pitch black hair cut short and spiked it an unique style, and chocolate brown eyes. His six foot tall figure was built with the look male models try for months to gain, the simple blue button shirt he wore stretched across those amazing muscles.

In short, he was every teen girl's fantasy boy.

"Three butterbeers- ginger in mine please," Hermione ordered for herself and the boys, seemingly unphased by the incredible gorgeous guy standing before them.

The waiter wrote it down on his pad of paper before looking directly at Anya. "And what about you, beautiful?" he asked with a smile that could turn knees into jell-o. It took Anya a minute to realize he was talking to her.

"Oh! Umm..." Anya blushed with embarrassment of being caught staring. She had to stop herself from checking for drool. "I'll have a hot chocolate, and is it possible to get a cinnamon stick in it?" she asled.

The boy smirked and gave a half-hearted shrug. "I'll see what I can do," he said before walking off. Anya tried to catch herself from staring at his backside when he walked away, but she still zoned in on it from the corner of her eye.

"Hmm... looks like someone's caught our little Anya's eye," Harry teased.

Anya's head snapped to attention so fast, a person across the room could have heard the bones snap back into place. "I have no idea what you're talking about," she tried to argue, but she couldn't help but admit the truth. "OK- you got me," she confessed.

"You should go talk to the bloke," Ron encouraged her.

"No- I don't think so," Anya was quick to disagree.

"Anya, that boy was clearly flirting with you," Hermione jumped in. "It was so obvious! Just go and talk to him a bit. You know- flirt back."

Anya would have made some comment about how he was _not_ flirting with her, but the waiter was already back with their drinks. When he put Anya's mug down, she saw the cinnamon along with a large gollop of whipped cream and chocolate drizzle sitting on the surface. "On the house," he said directly to her with another heart-stopping smile of his. With that, he began to walk backwards towards the bar, nearly tripping over his own two feet as he went.

"You were saying?" Hermione smirked with her all-knowing gleam in her eyes.

Anya would have let it just go at that, but she looked back at the bar to see Malfoy was still sitting in the same place she'd seen him when she came in, but now, he was glaring after the waiter that had just served her with a look that could turn water into ice in the middle of July.

If there was one thing that Anya never did was pretend to be interested in a guy to make another guy jealous. But the memories of how Malfoy had played her for the fool just last year came rushing to the surface and she felt the urge to do something about it. She wasn't about to let the Slytherin boy think that he'd hurt her so badly that she would never date again. Taking her mug, she stood up and sauntered over to where the waiter boy was stacking clean glasses. "Hi there," she smiled at him.

He seemed stunned for a minute before giving her a large grin. "Hi yourself," he said.

"I just wanted to say thanks for the drink. That was really sweet of you," she told him honestly.

"No problem." He held out his hand. "The name's Tyler- Tyler Talbot," he introduced himself.

Anya accepted the offered hand. "Anya Collins. Nice to meet you."

,:~:,

The two of them spent about a half-hour just chatting about nothing in particular. It was only when crashing of a chair hitting the ground that they stopped to see Malfoy marching towards the bathroom. "What's the matter with that bloke?" Tyler asked.

"No idea," Anya said as she watched the blonde disappear behind the door before turning back to the other guy. "I should probably get back to my friends," she told him as she hopped off the stool and started walking back to the others.

"Hey, wait!" Anya stopped and turned back to see Tyler scratch the back of his head. "Is there... I mean, can I contact you some time?" he asked sheepishly.

Anya had to surpress a smile. "You got a pen?' she asked him. When he pulled one from his pocket, she snatched it up and scribbled down a short message on the palm of his hand for how to get in touch. "Check ya later," she said with a smile and flirty wink as she handed the pen back before walking off. "So..." she began as she sat back down beside Harry and the others, "looks like this witch still has no need for any love potions yet," she laughed.

"As if you'd actually need something like that," Ron said.

"Aw! That is so sweet!" Anya gushed as she pulled him into a one-armed hug. "So anyway, what did I miss?"

"Slughorn has invited you, me, and Hermione to a dinner party he's having," Harry told her.

"You not going Ron?" The look on the redhead's face said it all. "You mean the guy didn't even invite you? What a jerk!" Anya huffed out as she grabbed a fry off the plate. "You actually gonna go?" she asked.

"Dumbledore has asked me to get to know Slughorn. I don't know why, but he wouldn't have asked if it wasn't important," Harry said.

"How about we just get out of here?" Ron asked. Not even waiting for an answer, he stood up and pulled on his jacket.

"Whoa there, bucko! Where's the fire?" Anya joked as she and the others followed suit. Following the redhead's gaze, she looked to see Ginny sitting in one of the back booths with Dean Thomas... making out. "You know what? We should go- before Ron's BBS shifts into gear."

"I don't have BBS," Ron proclaimed as they stepped out into the cold again. "What's BBS anyway?" he asked.

Anya shrugged. "It's something that a lot of guys tend to have. Others sometimes have what's known as LBS. And there are some guys who are _really_ screwed- they have _both_," she told him.

"Well, what is it?! Is it some kind of disease? Is it deadly?" the redhead asked worriedly, his face slowly taking on an ashy-grey coloring.

Anya couldn't contain her laughter any longer. The light giggles bubbled past her lips until it was an uproar of laughs as she gasped for breath. It was so bad that she nearly fell over into a bank of snow. "Oh my God! Did you see your face? That was just too funny!" she giggled.

"May I ask what exactly is so funny?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah! This is my life we're talking about here!" Ron yelped with fear.

"I'm just messing with you Ron! BBS isn't an illness!" Anya continued laughing. "It's the short version for 'Big Brother Syndrome'." The three friends looked at her with confusion. "When a guy has a sister who's younger than him and when she starts dating, he gets all protective and everything. You know- the whole 'you better treat her right or I'll make sure that you'll regret it' speech thing most brothers give to the boyfriends?" she explained. The others continued to look at her weirdly. "No? Really? That's weird. I mean, you two did the same thing when I started dating Malfoy," she told the two wizards.

"Is that what you call it? I thought that was just a loathing of complete arses," Harry said, gaining chuckles from everyone.

"That's another way of calling it. But I prefer BBS- sounds classier," Anya laughed.

"So what does LBS stand for? Little Brother Syndrome?" Hermione asked.

Anya snapped her fingers and winked at the brunette. "Score one for Ms. Granger."

Suddenly, a terrified scream sounded just up ahead on the path back to Hogwarts. The four friends raced forward to see Katie Bell sprawled out on the snowy pavement. "I told her not to touch it!" her friend Leanne cried out, pointing at a package that laid in the snow. Before they could say or do anything to help their fellow student, Katie's body shot up six feet into the air, her arms held out and a silent scream on her face with her long black locks swishing around her head. It was a terrifying sight. As quickly as it started, it suddenly stopped and she dropped back to the ground, twitching like she was experiencing an epileptic shock.

"Get back!" Hagrid's booming voice sounded from behind them and they all stepped out of the way to let the half-giant pass. He scooped the unconcious girl up in his arms and turned back to see Harry bending down to look at the forgotten package. "Do not touch that except for the wrappings. Do you understand?" he ordered.

,:~:,

The mysterious package turned out to be an elegant-looking necklace made of black metal shaped into intricate patterns with opal stones in each piece. Anya remembered seeing that exact necklace in the window display of Borgins & Burks that day she and the others had followed Malfoy. Anya had seen a sign saying 'DO NOT TOUCH' sitting beside the necklace and now she knew why: it looked like it caused terrible pain and suffering the second it touched skin. Anya shivered at the thought of someone actually wearing it around their neck.

"Are you sure that Ms. Bell didn't have this in her possession when she entered the Three Broomsticks?" Professor McGonagall asked Leanne. After bringing Katie up to the hospital, Hagrid had brought the students to the head of their house to find out what happened.

"No, Professor. I didn't see her have it until she came back from the loo," Leanne sniffled. "I told her to leave it alone, but she wouldn't listen!" The tears began to flow again and Anya pulled the other girl into a hug. "She just kept saying she needed to get it to Professor Dumbledore."

"Very well. Ms. Collins, would you escort the young lady back to your dorm room?" McGonagall asked Anya.

"Sure thing, Professor," Anya replied. "Come on Leanne, let's go," she told the weeping girl as she gently led her out of the office and up to Gryffindor tower. "Do you want anything? Cup of tea or something to eat?" she asked. Memories of tripping over Barty Crouch's body crawled to the surface of her mind and she remembered going into shock.

"No," Leanne replied, the tears still slipping down her cheeks. She looked up at Anya with glassy eyes. "Why did this happen? Why would Katie have something like that?"

Anya sighed as she sat down beside the girl. "I don't think Katie really knew wat she was doing. When she's not on the Quidditch field, Katie wouldn't hurt a fly, let alone have something dangerous like that necklace. I think someone hexed her into bringing it to Dumbledore," she told her honestly.

"But why? Why did they do that to Katie of all people?" That was a question that Anya didn't have an answer to.

Eventually, the tears took their toll on Leanne and the girl fell asleep. Draping the covers over her, Anya carefully left the room and headed downstairs to the common room to wait for her friends. It wasn't long before they showed. "So what happened? Is Katie going to be alright?" she asked them.

"Professor McGonagall said it'll be a while before Katie can come back to school," Hermione told her. "They transported her to St. Mungo's hospital to keep her under watch, but she should be fine."

"Well, that's a relief," Anya sighed. "Do they have any idea who could have done this?" She noticed how Ron and Hermione both sent worried glances in Harry's direction but he remained silent. "What's going on?"

"Harry thinks that it was Malfoy who hexed Katie into bringing that necklace," Ron announced.

Anya couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Seriously Harry? You're still going on about that whole 'Malfoy's a Death Eater' garbage?" she asked her friend.

"I'm positive," Harry shot back before storming up to the boy's dorm with a huff.

"What's his problem?" Anya asked.

"Snape gave him a hard time when he came to examine the necklace," Hermione explained. "Then again, you can't really blame Snape: Harry accused Malfoy without any evidence and acted like he was right."

"Story of our lives," Anya sighed.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AC: OK, serious drool alert! This Tyler guy was so hot, you could fry an egg on his abs!<strong>_

_**MMM: Well, I did base him off of Taylor Lautner.**_

_**AC: Oh hell! Those are some seriously HOT abs then! Forget fry eggs- you could get a sunburn off him! *melts***_

_**MMM: O...K.**_

_**DM: Seriously?! That's who you based this Tyler bloke on? How in bloody hell am I going to compete against **_**that_?! Practically every girl in America thinks he's good looking._**

**_MMM: Hence why I chose him to be Tyler._**

**_TT: Hey there, everyone! Glad to finally be a part of the story. Looking real forward to getting to know you all._**

**_AC & HG & VS: *sigh dreamily*_**

**_RW: Bloody hell, this is a nightmare!_**

**_MMM: Moving along please!_**

**_VS: I also like the whole 'BBS' bit. Genius!_**

**_MMM: Thanks, Vi! Anyway, let me know what you all thought of the chapter. Please, please, please, PLEASE!_**

**_Nancy (aka megamatchmaker)_**


	68. Year 6 Ch6

_**MMM: Sorry I've been so behind, everyone! Can't access the internet on my computer still, and I'm still trying to figure out what caused t. So once again, I'm borrowing another laptop and doing the actual update. School starts up again on Wednesday but here's the kicker- I only go back for 12 days! Can you believe that I had to wait over six weeks before I can finish the last three modules of my program. Ugh! That's annoying! But I digress: on with the story!**_

_**AC: About time!**_

_**MMM: Oh, don't you start with me!**_

_**AC: What I'm just saying- you've been real slow with the updates!**_

_**MMM: I just explained why!**_

_**AC: Mm-hmm! Right...**_

* * *

><p><strong>Ch. 68 Just a Little Luck<strong>

The invitations to Slughorn's dinner party came in the morning post on Friday. Anya had offered to decline the evening's activity to keep Ron company, but he convinced her to go. So she donned on her simple navy blue dress with a black sweater and tights and found herself sitting at the dining table Slughorn had brought into his office, sitting between Hermione and some Hufflepuff student. She had to hold back her disgust when she saw Cormac McLaggen sitting across from them, trying to act seductive towards her brunette friend who looked like she'd rather kiss a flobberworm. Anya pitied Hermione for being stuck in McLaggen's sights.

It became very clear why Slughorn had these special dinners. Almost every student that sat at the table was related to some famous witch or wizard: an uncle who had invented the wolfsbane potion or went hunting with the Minister of Magic every summer... it was all Slughorn's attempt to stay close to the higher class. What better way to get invited to big, grand parties by famous people than using their kids?

So it made it feel even more awkward when the potions master asked Hermione about what her family did in the muggle world. Hermione tried to make the work of a dentist sound interesting by telling the story of how one boy had bitten her father badly enough to need stitches, but it clearly didn't help. If anything, it made the conversation sound even more awkward than it already was.

"And you, Ms. Collins? I hear your mother and father own a bakery," Slughorn brought the attention on Anya as the desserts were brought out.

Anya nodded. "Yes, sir. That's right," she simply replied.

"I also hear that it is one of the best in all of America," the professor continued, making it sound like some sort of dream come true.

"Actually, it's just New York," Anya corrected him. He was exaggerating about her parents and she didn't like it one bit. She certainly wasn't as thick headed as most of the people at this table who were probably going to be sending letters to mommy and daddy about how the new teacher liked them best. It was sickening to see and even more sickening to listen to.

The door opened suddenly and all heads turned to see Ginny enter the room. The poor girl's eyes were bright red from tears and Anya immediately knew that the redhead had had another fight with her boyfriend. This had been going on for the last month or so when Dean noticed how the Weasley girl was spending a lot of time away from him. Anya was afraid that one day she'd see Ginny walk into Gryffindor tower with a bruised face. And if Dean ever did that to her friend, Anya would beat him to within an inch of his life.

"Sorry, I'm not usually late," Ginny apologized, plastering on a smile as if everything was alright with the world.

As soon as she got within reaching distance of the table, Harry practically shot up out of his seat in a 'gentlemanly' fashion. "And they say chivalry was dead," Anya whispered to Hermione who hid her smile in her ice cream.

,:~:,

The next morning came quickly and Anya found herself in her brand new Quidditch uniform, waiting for the others to actually roll out of bed. Harry was the first one down, followed closely by Hermione. "Where's Ron? He's going to be late," Anya stated, glancing at her watch. If they were lucky, _maybe_ they'd get to have a quick bite before they had to head to the pitch.

"Ron's a little nervous about his first big game," Harry told her. "Last I saw, he was running to the loo and I heard vomiting."

Anya cringed at the mental picture. "Too much info, Harry. _Way _too much." She huffed with worry. "What are we gonna do? If Ron can't play, then we'll have to bring in McLaggen and I'd rather just throw in the towel now then let that slimeball play."

"We just need to figure out a way that'll boost his confidence," Hermione stated. She continued talking about different techniques she had read in the past on how to do so while walking through the portrait hole, not even waiting for the others to follow.

"You know..." Anya began, a fresh plan beginning to take form in her mind. "Hermione has a point- we _do_ need to boost Ron's confidence. I think what he really needs to know is that he is the best bit of _luck_ Gryffindor ever had." She looked over at Harry to see that familiar spark in his eyes. "You thinking what I'm thinking?" she asked. Harry just nodded before dashing back up to the boy's dorm room. When he came back downstairs, he was clutching the tiny vial of Felix Felicis in his hand. "Perfect." Stepping towards the staircase, she called up to the room. "Hey Ron! Harry and I are gonna head down to the Great Hall for breakfast. We'll meet you there, ok?" A groan sounded down the steps. Anya took it as a 'yes'.

It became obvious that they were in desperate need of the plan when the Weasley boy finally did come down to the Great Hall. As if it wasn't bad enough to be hearing the many jeers and taunts from today's competitors, the Slytherin house, Ron's normally pale face was almost chalk white with an unsettling tint of green in it, his big blue eyes were glassy, and Anya was sure he was going to topple over with a push as gentle as a breeze. "Yikes. Looks like 'Operation Lucky' couldn't have come any sooner," she whispered to Harry, watchful of Hermione's attentiveness. "Remember the plan?"

"Yup," Harry whispered back just before Ron sat down across from them. When Ron told them that after the match, he'd resign as keeper and let Cormac have his spot, Harry encouraged him to drink some pumpkin juice. As if- no pun intended- luck would have it, Luna had just arrived at their table and mentioned seeing Harry slip something into the goblet. Harry made sure that Ron saw the vial in his hand as he tucked it away.

"Don't drink it, Ron!" Hermione insisted, believing that Harry had actually poured the luck potion into the goblet. Ron ignored her and gulped the contents down in one sip. "You could be expelled for this!" Hermione hissed to the dark haired wizard.

"Don't know what you're talking about," Harry was quick to respond.

Anya watched as Ron's attitude quickly brighten up as the 'potion' worked its magic. "Come on, you lot- we've got a game to win!" he cheered before getting back up and running back out of the Great Hall. Harry got up to follow.

"I can't believe you're actually letting them do this!" Hermione said in appaul as Anya got up to follow after the boys. "You know that if someone finds out, they could get into serious trouble, and you could too!"

Anya rolled her eyes. "Will you just relax? Trust me- I know what I'm doing." And with that, she ran off after Harry and Ron, Hermione close behind her.

It was amazing how one little trick made so much of a difference in Ron's performance. He blocked and defended each and every shot against him with power and confidence no one had ever seen. The Syltherins tried every trick possible to get past him- even using all their own team members including their keeper- but it had no luck. For the first time since Anya ever met him, Ron looked as if he was really proud to be himself: not the youngest son of seven children or best friend of the Boy Who Lived, but Ron Weasley. Anya could hardly wait to tell him that it had all been his own doing, no lucky potion.

,:~:,

But at the rate things were going once they returned after the match- slaughtering the Slytherin team with a brutal score- she wouldn't get the chance. The students of Gryffindor house threw the biggest bash of the decade, repeatedly cheering 'Weasley- he's our King!' Red confetti showered over their hero player, who seemed to be very happy with himself.

"You know you shouldn't have done it," Hermione told Harry as they and Anya stood off to the side to let Ron have his moment.

"Guess we should have just used a confundus charm then," Anya remarked, talking about how Hermione had used that very same charm on Cormac the day of the tryouts to make him miss one block. She took a sip from her glass of punch and pulled away with a grimace. "Spiked again? Don't these guys ever get a clue?" she huffed as she tossed it away in the trash.

"That was different it wasn't an actual game," Hemione insisted.

"Oh, for the love of- Harry, show her the vial," Anya said with a roll of the eyes.

Harry pulled out the small glass vial from his shirt pocket and held it up for closer examination. The golden liquid inside was still filled to the top. "You didn't put it in," Hermione said with amazement. Harry shook his head as he put it away. "Ron only thought you did," Hermione continued, finally catching on to the plan. Harry nodded with a smile. "That was clever of you Harry."

"Don't look at me- it was all Anya's idea," Harry was quick to reply.

Anya shrugged. "There is no physical proof that I did anything. All I _said_ was our dear Ronald needed to realize that he was the best luck that this team has ever had. I didn't say _anything_ about making him believe that he had drunk a special potion that makes the consumer's every expectation come to life," she said with a smile. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the crowd around her redheaded friend had begun to thin out. "Come on, let's go tell him the truth now. I think he's about to crack under all the praise he thinks isn't his."

But as they pushed their way through the group, Anya's eyes grew wide with surprise.

Standing there, arms wrapped around Ron's neck, was Lavender Brown. And she was kissing him like it was going out of style. Everyone in the common room cheered at the make out session they were witnessing, but Anya knew that someone wasn't happy about it. And that someone wasn't sticking around to see more of it.

Anya and Harry hurried after their brunette friend as she ran out the portrait hole and down the deserted corridors of Gryffindor tower. As sorry as Anya felt for Hermione, she also couldn't help but want to scoff at her. As bright as Hermione was, she still had some things to learn about in life: namely boys and their knowledge in the dating game. Guys like Ron never really get it when a girl makes different hints about being interested in them- they need to pretty much be told straight out vocally or with actions. Was it Ron's fault that Lavender happened to actually do that before Hermione did? No, but Hermione had to realize that she couldn't make a guy wait around forever until she's ready for a relationship. Ron had also dropped subtle hints about his attraction to the intelligent teenage witch, but Hermione had been too wrapped up in her own little world to realize it. Honestly, the only person to blame for it was Hermione.

They eventually found Hermione at the bottom of the steps leading up to Gryffindor tower, silently crying her eyes out as tiny yellow canaries fluttered around over her head. "Charms spell," Hermione sniffled. "Just practicing."

Harry looked uncomfortable with the situation. "They're really good." Anya rolled her eyes and smacked him in the shoulder. He gasped out in pain and looked back at the American. "What was that for?" he mouthed.

Anya shook her head and motioned zipping and locking her lips shut at him. Then she walked over to Hermione and sat down beside her. "It's gonna be alright, Hermione," she said in a comforting manner. She noticed Harry came up and sat down on the other side of their sad friend.

"How does it feel Harry?" Hermione asked through her tears. "When you see Dean with Ginny? I know- I see the way you look at her," she said when Harry tried to deny it. It was a clear as daylight that Harry hated seeing his secret crush in the arms of one of his pals, especially when the two fought and Harry could do nothing about it.

Suddenly, giggling echoed off the walls and seconds later, Lavender came bouncing into the area dragging Ron behind her. Her big brown eyes took in the scene before her and Anya noticed that flash of mocking victory in them. She herself had been faced with it many times in the past from Pansy Parkinson of Slytherin house whenever it came to mention the end of Anya's relationship with Malfoy. A familiar flash of utter loathing and anger shot through Anya when she saw how gleeful Lavender was about getting the guy while crushing another girl's heart. "Oops!" Lavender said in an over-dramatic voice. She then turned to Ron. "I think this room is taken," she stage-whispered.

When she tried to pull him back the way they came, Ron stayed where he stood. "What's with the birds?" he asked.

Hermione stood up and muttered something and suddenly, the canaries all flew around her head before charging after Ron. The redhead backed away from the oncoming attack of beaks and feathers, dodging them as they rammed into the door behind him and turned into puffs of yellow smoke. With a look of utter confusion on his face, he ran off.

A fresh assault of tears began to run down Hermione's tear-streaked face as she crumbled to the ground. Harry reached his arm around the brunette's shoulders and pulled her into his side. "It feels a lot like this," he answered the previous question, finally admitting out loud about his feelings towards Ginny. Anya rubbed Hermione's back in soothing circles.

"Don't take it so hard, Hermione," Anya said. "Ron is about a clueless to things in life as Snape's hair is in desperate need of shampoo." This caused the brunette to let out a small chuckle. "Ah... there it is- the smile that melts hearts and brightens up the room," she encouraged, causing the small smile on Hermione's face to become bigger. "That's it. Alright, so part one of 'Operation Get-Back' is taken care of. On to part two."

"'Operation Get-Back'? What's that?" Harry asked.

"Glad you asked, Harry," Anya smiled as she stood up. "Operation Get-Back involves what has just happened between our thick-skulled buddy Ron and that flaky Lavender. Part one was to get Hermione to perk up a little. Now that that's done, we can get started with the second part- make Ron regret even thinking of dating some flower-power named floozy over our brilliant and wonderful Hermione." She made a grand sweeping gesture of presenting Hermione like a grand prize on some game show.

"How do you plan to do that?" Hermione asked as she wiped away the last of her tears.

"Simple! We- well, more like _I _- am going to make you into even more of a belle-of-the-ball gal and you're gonna show him just what he's missing as you strut your stuff through the halls of this boring old school." Anya walked around a bit with a sexy, positive posture like a supermodel's to show just exactly what she meant. "He'll see guys practically eating out of the palm of your hand, he'll realize that he's been a complete idiot and regret being with Lavender even more when you don't give him the time of day, and before you know it, he'll be _begging_ you to be his girl," she finished explaining.

"I don't know..." Hermione replied with uncertainty. It was clear the bright witch didn't think that something as trivia as getting a new dress and a makeover would be the key to her happiness. Hermione was always one for substance over style and if she'd do something like that, she would be somewhat of a hypocrite.

"Trust me, it'll all work out," Anya insisted.

,:~:,

"You guys ready to go?" Anya asked Vi and Hermione as they finished their breakfast. Today was another Hogsmeade trip and since Harry was off with his special mentoring lessons with Dumbledore and Ron was off somewhere else, they had decided it was the perfect time for a little girl's day out. After all, the last time they had one was when they had gone out shopping for their Yule Ball dresses.

"Sure am," the Irish beauty beamed while wiping her mouth of the remains of her breakfast. "You done, Hermione?"

"Yes," the brunette replied before standing up. After a little encouragement from both of her best girl pals, Hermione figured that it would be nice to have a little pampering day for herself seeing as how rarely she took the time for things like that.

Slipping on their jackets and scarves, the three friends headed outside to wait for the carriages.

"Anya! Anya, wait up!" The American witch looked back to the entrance to the school to see the last person she wanted to talk to- Lavender Brown. The over-bubbly witch ran up towards them with a big smile and Anya just wanted to slap her silly.

"What is it, Brown?" Anya huffed, sounding snarky and rude in hopes of getting the girl to leave them alone.

Lavender's brow furrowed for a moment before another big smile took its place again. "Well, Ronald was telling me that you were planning on going to Hogsmeade for a girl's day and I thought maybe I could come along with." The cheery vibes she gave off were almost sickening.

"It's actually more of a BFFs day out," Anya replied, hoping Lavender would get the hint that she _wasn't _welcomed.

It didn't sink in. "That's why I'm here!" Lavender cheered. "And since Ron considers you like a sister to him and I'm his _girlfriend_," it didn't escape anyone's notice when Lavender put an emphasis on the 'girlfriend' bit, "we should spend some time together and get to know one another. We'll be such great friends, I just know it! We can do each other's hair and talk about boys- I'll do my best to not talk about how much Ron and I kiss all the time- and we can-"

"That's really not going to happen anytime soon, Brown," Anya cut the bubbly witch off. "I never really cared about being close friends with you before and I'm not going to start now. And as for you're being Ron's 'girlfriend', I seriously don't see it lasting. You are right about one thing though: Ron _is_ like a brother to me. And as a friend/sister, I can honestly say that there's only one girl in the world I would even consider being good enough for him and it sure as _hell_ isn't your pathetic, sorry ass!" Anya shouted.

Lavender's cheery disposition quickly fizzled. "Oh," she bit out. "And I suppose that someone is _her_," she scoffed, pointing at Hermione.

Anya was about to agree whole-heartedly, but Vi was quick to add her two cents. "Brown, you're not a witch- you're a bitch. That's all you've ever been and that's all you'll ever be. You may have most of the school fooled by your little braided-pigtail, doe eyed, girly routine, but underneath it all you're still nothing but a pathetic skank who's only future is marrying some rich old bugger who'll probably mysteriously croak and leave you his fortune. Girls like you aren't even worth a _penny_! Hermione here is more of a witch than you'll ever be and you might as well accept it, 'cause you aren't even worth a second of anyone's time!" Not even waiting for some kind of rebuttal, she turned back to the other two witches. "Come on girls. Let's go. The smell of trashy sluts is sickening." And with that, they all walked away.

"Thanks girls," Hermione smiled as the carriage began its journey to the little town.

"What are friends for?" Anya and Vi both replied, causing them all to crack up with laughter.

* * *

><p><strong><em>MMM: And there you have it for today's chapter. Hopefully, you guys liked it. More will be coming up soon.<em>**

**_Nancy (aka megamatchmaker)_**


	69. Year 6 Ch7

_**MMM: Hey there! It's Nancy again! So I'm up in the computer lab at school and I've got nothing to do. The project we're working on- yeah, I already finished it! It's already typed, I've got my videos I need, and my PowerPoint piece is already finished too. So now, I've got a whole 3 hours of nothing to do, so I'm gonna go fanfic crazy! Yay!**_

_**AC: Congrats!**_

_**MMM: Thanks! *does happy dance***_

_**AC: Oh boy! I created a monster...**_

_**HP: Well, it could be worse.**_

_**AC: *turns to friend* How?**_

_**HP: *nods towards author* She could be on a coffee buzz.**_

_**MMM: *stops dancing* Not possible- I don't drink coffee. Soda, yeah, but not coffee.**_

_**HP: Oh...**_

_**AC: Well, how about we get to the actual story now?**_

_**MMM: You're right. Well, you heard the lady- let's get started! On with the chapter!**_

* * *

><p><strong>Ch. 69 The Slug Club<strong>

Anya sighed, leaning up against the stone wall behind her as she watched her fellow students walk around Hogwarts in their Christmas daze. Seeing everyone so happy was a nice change after so many months of difficulties in the wizarding world, but watching couples exchange gifts and sneaking kisses under the mistletoe was hard. It brought back memories Anya had tried so hard to surpress.

Yes, it was true. As much as she hated Malfoy for everything that he had done to her just last year, there was still a small part of her that still cared for the Slytherin Prince. And considering that most of their memorable times being together had been around the same time of year made it harder to forget. Anya was glad that she had planned on going home for the Christmas break.

With another sigh, Anya wrapped her cloak closer around her and hurried into the school for lunch. When she got there, she had just enough time to sit down before the post came in. "Hey there, buddy," she cooed to her golden masked owl, Starshine. "Haven't seen you in a while. How have you been?" The owl hooted with delight as she gently stroked his feathery back. "So what do you have for me?" He held out his little leg and Anya untied the letter hanging from it. Giving him a little pat on the head, she fed him a piece of orange- his favorite food- and watched as he flew away before opening her mail.

_Dear Ms. Collins,_

_ It gives me great pleasure to invite you to a small gathering in the west wing of the sixth floor corridor on the twenty-first of December in celebration of the Christmas holidays. The evening's festivities will begin with cocktails at six before dinner and followed closely after with music and dancing. Formal attire is required and all guests are permitted to invite one other. No gifts required; simply merriment and whole-hearted fun._

_ Should you have any questions regarding the party, please feel free to contact me by owl._

_Sincerely,_

_Professor Horace E.F. Slughorn_

Anya noticed people sitting beside her and she looked up from the invitation to see her friends. They all quickly noticed the letter. "You got one too?" Ron asked.

"Yeah. You guys too?" the American asked, quickly folding the letter up and putting it away in her pocket. Harry and Hermione nodded while Ron seemed to become even more irritated. It wasn't hard to realize that he hadn't gotten one. "Oh... Well, it says I can bring a date along with. What do you say, Ron? Mind helping out a damsel in distress by putting on a monkey suit and going with?" she asked.

"I don't see why I would have to go in a monkey suit," the redhead huffed in annoyance. "And I'd appreciate it if you all stopped treating me like some charity case just because I didn't get invited to be part of the Slug Club." And with a face as bright red as his ginger hair, he abruptly stood up and marched back the way he came.

"Jeez! Someone is in need of a serious nap!" Anya scoffed, glaring at the head of the boy. "What's his deal, anyway? It was a simple question."

"He and Hermione are having a bit of a row right now about the whole 'Slug Club' thing," Harry replied with a whisper.

"It's not my fault!" Hermione was quick to say. "I simply asked if he was interested in going with me to the party and then he went on about how he figured I'd ask Cormac McLaggen instead and was only asking him out of pity! Ronald is such a child!" Looking back towards the doors, the three friends saw that the Weasley boy now had his arms wrapped around his... 'girlfriend', Lavender, kissing her with an intensity. "Besides, I'd _hate_ to break up such a _lovely couple_! If he wants to date... _that_, he's more than welcome! I _really_ couldn't care less!"

"Is that why you're killing your breakfast?" Anya asked sarcastically. Hermione's hand was wrapped tightly around a bagel, slowly crushing it into mush. The brunette looked at the pastry in her hand before throwing it back down on her plate, stood up, and walked right past the snogging couple and out the door. "OK- this school needs a serious stock of chill pills now. Everyone's so pissed off all the time!"

"You're telling me," Harry replied. "So, who _are _you planning to take to the party? Probably that Tyler bloke, am I right?" he teased, laughing lightly at the bright blush that quickly bloomed across the young witch's face.

Although her interaction with the waiter boy from the Three Broomsticks had started off as nothing more than to spite Malfoy, Anya had developed a friendship with Tyler Talbot. Sure, she didn't expect them to get along so quickly and she especially didn't expect her friends to accept Tyler just as fast, but she honestly couldn't see herself with him. As sweet and good-looking as he was, Anya just didn't feel that spark that most people get when they meet someone special. Her relationship with him was more or less the same as the one she had with Harry and Ron- brotherly/sisterly love. The idea of there actually being a romantic thing between them seemed awkward at best.

"No... I don't think so," Anya replied after a few seconds of embarrassment. "I mean, Tyler's a great guy and all, but we're just friends."

"So you mean to say that you plan to remain single for the rest of your life? That doesn't seem fair to me," Harry stated.

Anya shrugged. "I'm not saying that I plan to become a nun and swear off all men for the rest of my life, Harry. I just want to finish with school and actually make something of myself before I decide to jump back into the dating pool again. I don't want to make the same mistakes twice." She secretly eyed the Slytherin table as she said this.

"Well, I wouldn't worry about it," Harry said as they finished up and got ready to head to class. "You'll find someone special and he better realize that he's one lucky bloke to land a gal like you, 'cause you're one of a kind," he continued as he drapped his arm around her shoulders. "Trust me."

Anya smiled. "Thanks Harry. You always know how to perk me up."

,:~:,

"So who are you planning to take to Slughorn's Christmas party?" Vi asked Anya as they worked together on their project for Transfiguration class.

Anya shrugged. "No clue. But I bet I know who you plan to bring along." As it came to no surprise due to her amazing grades and the fact that her mother was the most well-known witch lawyer, Vi had received an invitation to Slughorn's party. Just as it was no surprise that Vi would invite her boyfriend, Ivan Petrov. The Irish beauty and Bulgarian stud had met at the beginning of the year of the Triwizard Tournament and had been in a steady relationship ever since. Anya was glad that at least one of them was having a happily ever after romance.

Vi blushed. "Yeah. Since he and his parents were planning on coming over to my parent's house for Christmas, they're just planning on staying in Hogsmeade that night and we'll all apparate there in the morning." Vi smiled and let out a love-filled sigh. "I really like him, Anya. Ivan is so sweet to me and he always knows just what to do to make me feel better. And he's always doing little things for me: last week, he sent me a fresh lily every morning with the cutest little notes attached to them like 'I'm thinking of you' and 'Keep watch over my heart because it's yours'..." Vi looked back to see the American look very uncomfortable. "Oh Merlin! Anya, I'm sorry! Here I am talking about things like this and I keep forgetting about you and Draco and all- Bollocks! I'm such a twit!"

Anya shrugged as she drew random things on the blank page. "It's alright Vi, I'm good." She even gave a big smile to prove it, not that it was really convincing. Whether Vi noticed that or not, she didn't know.

Vi rolled her green eyes before closing her book shut and leaning forward on her elbows. "So... what is this I'm hearing about you and that hunky waiter bloke from the Three Broomsticks?" she said as she wiggled her perfectly shaped eyebrows.

Anya huffed in annoyance and leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms over her chest. "Damn Harry and his big mouth," she muttered under her breath. "Why does everyone think that there's something going on between me and Tyler? We're just friends!" She looked over at Vi to see that familiar playful, all-knowing smirk. "Ok, yeah- so he's a little on the gorgeous side."

"'Little on the gorgeous side'? Anya, I think you need to get your eyes checked. He's a stunner! If I wasn't in a serious relationship with a great guy like my Ivan, I would definetly let him wipe down my table any day!" Vi said.

Anya grimaced at the sexual innuendo. "Ew. That's just tacky."

Vi smiled. "You know you love me," she laughed.

"Hey girls." Both witches looked up to see the ever shy and humble Neville Longbottom standing beside them and by the looks of his bright red face, he had heard Vi's smutty joke. "How's it going?"

"It's alright," Anya replied for them both seeing as Vi was as bright red as the wizard. "Hardly seen you around, Neville. Still helping out Professor Sprout in the greenhouses during your spare time, huh?" The boy was known through the school for his impressive green thumb considering that the Herbology teacher was so protective over her plants and rarely let anyone near them unless it was for class.

Neville's face became an even brighter red. "Yeah." He held up a book. "Just getting something to read before I leave for the holidays. Gran wants me to come home over the break- apparently things are getting a little crazy with her brother and all."

Suddenly, a light went off in Anya's head. "Say Neville... do you have any plans for the twenty-first?" she asked him.

"Isn't that when Professor Slughorn is having that big fancy party of his?" Neville asked. Anya nodded. "I didn't get into the Slug Club," he added.

"Well as it turns out, I did," Anya smiled. She pulled out her invitation from her bag. "And I get to bring one person of my choice. Would you like to be my date?"

,:~:,

Anya hummed to herself as she finished pulling her curled hair up high on her head, securing it there with an elaborate black hairpiece. Smiling at the finished product, she grabbed her favorite cherry lip gloss and applied a little on her lips and fixed the dark purple eyeshadow in her lids. Pulling away from the mirror, she did a small twirl and stared at her reflection.

The dress she was wearing was form fitting, reaching just above her knees in a soft material that started in black at the top and gradually faded into dark purple at the bottom. The skirt had a slit on the right leg going up to mid thigh. The neckline was a deep slope to one shoulder strap where a oval gold brooch pinned it to the long belowing sleeve in the same material of her dress. Around her waist was a black belt with a long overlap, reaching down to the toes of her knee-length high heeled black boots.

Anya smiled at her reflection and grabbed her lightning necklace which she had transfigured the chain for a black choker ribbon and slipped it around her throat before slipping in a pair of onyx dangle earrings and her protego ring on her finger.

"Anya, Neville's down stairs. He needs to talk to you," Hermione said, opening the door to the girl's dorm. "Wow! You look amazing!"

Anya smiled at her friend's reflection. "Thanks. You look smoking hot yourself," she complimented. The light pink dress Hermione was wearing was snug on the bodice with a deep v-neck and thick straps before slightly puffing out at the waist down to her knees. It was sweet yet sassy. "Hey- you never told me who you're going to the party with," she remembered.

"Umm... It's a surprise," Hermione replied, her happy mood quickly vanishing.

"Alright... fess up," Anya sighed, dropping her make-up brush onto the vanity counter and turning around. "Who is it?" Hermione looked down and mumbled something. "What was that?"

"I said 'Cormac'," Hermione repeated.

"WHAT?! You invited Cormac McLaggen to the party? Are you CRAZY?!" Anya shouted at a pitch that could have shattered glass.

"I thought it would annoy Ron the most!" Hermione defended herself.

"And what exactly do you think people with believe when they see you with the man-whore of Gryffindor house?" Anya shot back. "The guy is a bastard and don't forget that he stares at you all the time like you're some kind of piece of meat! Why on earth would you choose him? You should have just gone with Harry!"

"I didn't think!" Hermione shouted back. "All I wanted to do was make Ron jealous and Cormac was the first thing that I thought of." She ran over to Anya's side and grabbed her hands in hers. "Please Anya! You have to help me! You can't leave me alone with Cormac!"

"Alright, alright!" Anya said. "Just make sure that I'm close by and the second he tries something with you, I'll step in, say something like I need your help or whatever and we'll spilt to the girl's bathroom until he leaves. OK?" she suggested. Hermione nodded. "Alright. Now, I'm gonna go downstairs to see Neville and then we'll all head to the sixth floor together, OK?" And with that, she headed downstairs. She was a little surprised to see Neville dressed in a white and gold bell-boy type jacket. "O...K... Umm, Neville? Why are you dressed like that?"

Neville looked apologetic. "I'm sorry Anya. Slughorn came to see me this afternoon and asked me to work for him tonight."

Anya frowned. "And you said 'yes'?" She felt a little hurt. He had said he'd like to go to the party, but she didn't think he'd stand her up to work the night there.

"I couldn't say anything! I went to tell him that I already had plans for the night, but he kept cutting me off until he handed me the jacket and said to be there before the party started." He looked depressed. "I really am sorry."

Anya sighed before walking up to him and wrapping her arms around his neck. "It's cool Neville. Going stag is fine with me too. But I'm gonna have a little talk with Slughead about respecting other people's plans," she said as she gave him a squeeze-hug.

Neville returned the hug. "Thanks Anya." When he pulled away, he pulled out a long stemmed red rose from behind her. "I got you this. Happy Christmas."

"Aww! That's so sweet!" Anya gushed as she accepted the gift. "Thank you." She reached up and pressed a kiss to his cheek, causing the boy to blush bright red. "You're gonna make some girl feel really special someday, Neville," she told him.

,:~:,

Anya had to admit that the party was kind of fun. Between the occassional dance she was asked to, helping Hermione avoid her perverted date, and meeting some well-known witches and wizards, things certainly never got boring.

Suddenly, shouting and cursing sounded from outside the door and all eyes turned to see Mr. Filch walk into the room, dragging a very angry Draco Malfoy in his wake. "Get your hands off me, you filthly squib!" Malfoy snarled.

Filch ignored him and pulled him towards Professor Slughorn. "Professor- I just found this boy lurking in an upstairs corridor. He _claims_ to have been invited to your party," he began the tale.

Anya silently cursed to herself before plastering a smile to her face and pushed her way through the crowd. "There you are, Draco!" she said in delight as she walked up towards him. "I thought I told you the party was on the sixth floor, not the seventh. Ah, men," she sighed. "Instructions and directions- they never can follow them or ask for them." She turned her gaze to the caretaker. "Thank you, Mr. Filch, for bringing my date to the right place." She felt eyes burn holes into the back of her head at the 'announcement'. Mr. Filch looked displeased about being foiled in giving a student detention as he grumbled and groaned as he left.

"Professor Slughorn, sir," Anya greeted the potions master as she looped her arm around the blonde Slytherin's and led him forward. "I'm sure you remember Draco Malfoy from potions class. He's my... date." She wanted to beat herself silly for coming up with a lie like that, but there was no going back now. The only reason she intervened was because she didn't want to have to hear the Malfoy heir complain about it later on in life.

Slughorn seemed to snap out of his shock and took on the role of gracious host once again. "Of course! Draco, my boy! Wonderful to see you again!" he shook the blonde's hand and Anya hoped that he crushed it. "Please, please! Help yourself to whatever you like! Enjoy! Let's get some music going in here, shall we?" Slughorn addressed the band who quickly resumed their playing. "If you'll excuse me."

Anya exhaled with relief when she saw her lie had been bought. "Thank you, Anya," Malfoy began, but the American witch cut him off before he could say anything else.

"Don't thank me for anything. I only did it for myself," she bit out at him, quickly snatching a glass of champagne off a passing tray. "Thank you!" she sighed before taking a large swig of the alcoholic beverage, wincing slightly as it burned on its way down.

Malfoy looked confused. "Come again?" he asked.

Anya rolled her eyes before turning back to the Slytherin. "Do you honestly think that I want to spend my night hearing you from your stupid little common room, whining and bitching about how unfair your pitiful little life is because you got detention from a... what was it you called Filch? Oh right- a squib. Far cry from a _merry_ Christmas."

"Can we please talk?" he begged her.

"Sure. There- we talked. Now if you'll excuse me," Anya said quickly before turning on her heel to leave. She barely got two steps away when a pale hand wrapped around her wrist. Violet eyes dark with anger snapped back at the person it was connected to. "Take your hand off me right now before I rip it from your body," she hissed.

"You need to listen to me Anya! Please!" Malfoy continued to beg, staring at her with pleading eyes.

It was only then that Anya noticed the dark circles underneath them, like he hadn't had a proper night's sleep for weeks. And he looked unnaturally thin, like the poor victims who had survived the Holocaust during World War II. Her heart told her to comfort him, find out what was troubling and find some way to ease the burden. But then her head flooded once again with every dirty trick he had pulled since the day she had met him and it banished her heart's wishes. Yanking her wrist out his grasp, she glared at him. "And why should I do that, _Malfoy_? So you can tell me some sob story that'll make me feel sorry for you?" She waved her drink around before polishing it off in one gulp. "Or are you trying to get me to trust you again with some big secret that you'll go blabbing to the first person that'll listen? Thanks, but no thanks. I'd rather kiss a flobberworm than spend any more time around you than necessary." She went to leave again, but he grabbed her by the hand. "OK, are you deaf, stupid, or both? Because right now, you are _seriously_ starting to piss me off!"

"Is everything alright here?" A voice asked in a thick accent. Anya nearly cried with relief when the Bulgarian wizard walked up towards them, the ever so beautiful Vi at his side in a sexy emerald green halter dress. It wasn't a surprise to see Malfoy be intimidated by the older male- the top of his head barely reached under Ivan's nose.

"Everything's just peachy," Anya said, taking the blonde's moment of hesitation to pull herself free from his grasp once again. Turning back to the other wizard, she smiled. "Ivan, would you mind if I steal Vi away for a moment? Just need to have a little chat." Not waiting for an actual answer, she grabbed Vi by the elbow and led her towards the ladies' room. She dropped the champagne flute onto the counter and leaned her hands against the marble sink, sighing deeply.

"Alright- would you care to explain _what the hell_ I just saw in there?" Vi asked as she crossed her arms.

Anya shrugged. "I don't know... I just... I didn't want to have to hear Malfoy going on and on about getting himself in trouble. I know he probably deserves it, but I just couldn't bare with the thought of actually putting up with it for even a second!" Anya huffed out. The more she thought about it, the more she thought it had been a very stupid idea. A part of her was tempted to just hide out in the bathroom for the rest of the night because she knew that as soon as she walked back out into that party, she'd be stuck with Malfoy for the rest of the night.

Vi sighed before looking in the mirror and carefully fixing her hair. "Well that was just stupid," she said. "Harry and Hermione are going to freak for sure when they find out, if they haven't already."

Anya just wanted to bury her head in the ground. She hadn't even thought about that. "Don't remind me," she groaned. Looking back at the door, she dreaded going back through it even more than before. "Is it too late to throw myself out the window?" she joked.

"Yup!" Vi grinned back. Locking her arm around Anya's, she led the reluctant witch back out the door and dragged her back over to Ivan and Malfoy. "Hope you boys didn't miss us too much," she said.

"Only a little," Ivan teased her before giving her a kiss on the cheek as he pulled her back into his side. "You look very lovely tonight Anya," he commented.

Anya smiled at him, purposely ignoring the fourth member of their little group. "Thanks Ivan. You're looking pretty good yourself. How are things going? Heard from Viktor lately?" she struck up a conversation to avoid bringing attention to Malfoy.

Ivan shrugged. "He's doing well- going to play another big match next week, actually. I have a couple extra tickets, as a matter of fact. Would you like to come with?"

Anya shook her head. "Can't. We've got our own match coming up real soon and we need to practice. Some of our back-up players need to learn that just because they're on the team, they can start bossing people around." She eyed the pompous Gryffindor student who kept trying to place his hand on Hermione's ass as she said that. Carefully pulling her wand out of her boot so that no one saw, she sent a quick hex at McLaggen and laughed along with everyone else when his legs started going out of control in a fast jig. Hermione gave her a knowing smile and mouthed 'thank you' before rushing off from her date.

"Ah, Ms. Collins! I was wondering if I might have a word," Professor Slughorn's voice sounded from behind her.

"Actually sir, I was wanting to talk to you about something as well," Anya said, noticing Neville walk by with a tray of champagne.

"I was having a little chat with some of the chaps from the Daily Prophet- good friends, as you know I'm sure- and they were wondering if there was anyone here that might do a little singing. I was wondering if you might like to?" Slughorn asked, ignoring what Anya was trying to say. "Splendid! Splendid! Well then, shall we?" he continued, not even giving her a chance to give him a proper answer as he dragged her towards the stage. "Ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased to introduce to you all a very talented young lady- Ms. Anya Collins!"

The crowd applauded greatly- the loudest coming from Anya's friends- and the American knew she wasn't getting out of this. Turning to the band, she gave them a smile. "You guys know 'Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas'?" she asked. When they nodded, she gave them the right key for her to sing and turned back to the audience.

_Oh yeah, mmm  
>Have yourself a merry little Christmas<br>Let your heart be light  
>From now on your troubles will be out of sight, yeah<em>

_Have yourself a merry little Christmas_  
><em>Make the Yuletide gay<em>  
><em>From now on your troubles will be miles away, oh<em>

_Here we are as in olden days_  
><em>Happy golden days of yore, ah<em>  
><em>Faithful friends who are dear to us<em>  
><em>They gather near to us once more, ooh<em>

_Through the years we all will be together and_  
><em>If the fates allow<em>  
><em>Hang a shining star upon the highest bow, oh yeah, oh<em>  
><em>And have yourself a merry little Christmas now, oh, oh<em>

_Faithful friends who are dear to us_  
><em>They gather near to us once more, oh, oh<em>

_Through the years we all will be together and_  
><em>If the fates allow, oh yeah<em>  
><em>But 'til then we'll have to muddle through somehow, oh yeah, oh, oh<em>  
><em>And have yourself a merry little Christmas now, ooh yeah, oh, ooh<em>

* * *

><p><strong><em>MMM: And there you have it- another Christmas chapter at the completely WRONG time of the year for it. Hope you all enjoyed. The version of this song that I used for the chapter was the one by Christina Aguilera- it's kind of my fave version, so I went with it. Next chapter should be up soon. The workload is rather small this week so I might have it up by the weekend. Next week, I`ve got nothing but exams,so I won't be posting anything new then. Well... I get out of school early on Tuesday, so who knows? All I ask is that you be patient and keep reviewing!<br>_**

**_Nancy (aka megamatchmaker)_**

**_PS: For those who believe that Anya is a lot like a Mary Sue character, I'm sorry that you think that. It wasn't my intention, but that's how she came to be in my head. But I'm planning on changing that up a bit soon. If you have any ideas on how to do that, just send me a PM. Thanks!_**


	70. Year 6 Ch8

_**MMM: Hello again! So as promised, I've got another chapter ready for you guys to read. Hope you all enjoy it.  
><strong>_

_**AC: Please tell me there's nothing between me and Draco again. I've already had enough problems the last chapter. And for the record, why did you make me do that?**_

_**MMM: Creative license, that's why. *grins***_

_**AC: *grumbles* Creative license... *grumbles* *groans***_

_**MMM: *shrugs* Oh well, let's get started, people! Places please! And ACTION!**_

* * *

><p><strong>Ch. 70 Love is a Killer<strong>

Anya watched as her family and friends chatted merrily throughout the log cabin. Hermione, Vi, Ivan, and their families had all followed the Collins and the Martins up to a nearby ski resort for a little winter fun. Anya had already beat her cousin Brad on the slopes twice and took her own little tumble down the hill when she tried the tabagan, sang in the resort's talent night party, and nearly burnt down a couch while roasting marshmallows in the lounge. It was so great to see everything go normally.

If only she could have said so for her friends back in London. Sighing, she looked down at the letter she had received last night from Ron and read through it again. According to what he had told her, Bellatrix and the wizard/werewolf that had attacked Bill a few months back, Greyback, had attacked the Weasley's home Christmas Eve and set it on fire. Luckily, no one had been hurt and except for a few charred walls, the Burrow was still standing. Anya could only imagine how Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were taking the attack: that had been the house where they had raised all their children, watched each one of them take their first step, say their first words... Ron had told Anya once before that his mother rarely stepped out further than past their garden as of late. This kind of shock could only be devastating on the poor woman.

"Ann!" Anya looked up from the letter to see her seven-year-old cousin, Cathy running up towards her. Stuffing the note back into her pocket, she scooped up the little blonde into her arms. "What's the matter?" Cathy asked, worry dancing around her her baby blues.

Anya shrugged and gave the little girl a kiss on the cheek. "Don't worry about it," she told her.

"Does it have something to do with your friends from that school you go away to all the time?" Cathy continued questioning.

Anya smirked. "My, my... Looks like someone's getting to be as observant as her mommy," she teased, reaching up to gently poke at her button nose.

"What does 'observant' mean?" Cathy asked, her head tilting lightly to the side in confusion.

"Well... it means that you notice a lot of things, from the things that everyone sees to the tiniest little things that most people just ignore because they don't really care," Anya explained. She took a seat down on the couch beside them and sat Cathy down in her lap. "And you're right- it _does_ have something to do with some of my other friends from school." She wondered how she could explain it to a young child without saying anything about the wizarding world. "Some really mean people did a really nasty thing to my friend Ron and his family."

Cathy looked up at her cousin with big eyes. "Are you going to use magic to fix it?"

Anya had to stop herself from checking if her jaw had hit the floor. "What are you talking about?" she tried to ask calmly, but it still came out a bit squeaky.

Cathy gave her a big smile. "I mean magic! Are you going to use your magic and get those bad guys?" she asked, eyes wide with excitement.

Anya wondered how Cathy had found out. She never did any magic at home and she kept all her magic things hidden away whenever people came around. Anya also worried about who else Cathy had told this about. Although she knew that no one would really believe the child, the chance that someone _would_ believe it could end in disaster. Thinking fast, Anya gave her a smile. "I don't know what you're talking about," she laughed it off like it was nothing more than the imagination of a little girl.

But Cathy shook her head. "You're a witch!" she exclaimed.

Anya's jaw did drop this time. "Well, that's a very nice thing to say to family!" she scoffed as if it was an insult.

Again, Cathy shook her little head. "No! I mean you're a real witch. You can do magic and fly and stuff!" She started bouncing up and down. "Can you turn someone into a toad? Can you teach me how to do magic? Do you fly on a broom? Can you take me flying?" she started firing off question after question at rapid speed. It was bad enough to make Anya's head spin.

"Whoa there! Whoa!" Anya exclaimed, clutching at her head and massaging out the ache. "How did you figure it out?" It was pointless to deny it. Cathy would just keep pushing and pushing until she'd get what she wanted.

Cathy shrugged as if it were nothing. "Debbie found out- she found one of your books," she replied. Anya's eyes bugged out of her head. "She showed it to Mommy and Mommy realized what it was. I heard them talk about it- Mommy didn't know I had snuck out of bed for cookies," the little girl continued.

"What?" Violet eyes snapped over to her other cousin and saw Debbie laughing at something Vi had said to her. "Remind me to have a talk with your sister later," she nearly growled. Then she turned to look back at Cathy. "You haven't told any of your friends, have you?"

The little girl shook her head. "If you're a witch, does that make Auntie Nikki and Uncle Rick witches too? Is my mommy a witch? Can I do magic too?" Cathy questioned, her eyes now wide with hope.

Anya gave a shrug. "I know my mom and dad aren't. I'm known as a muggleborn- a witch who is born in a family of people who don't do magic. And as for you being a witch and doing magic, I'm not really sure. Maybe you will and maybe you won't. You won't really find out until you turn eleven years old. Think of it as becoming a teenager in the magical world," she explained as best as she could without giving too much away.

"Are your friends witches too?" Cathy continued asking. "What do you call boy witches? Is Drake a boy witch? Where is Drake? Why isn't he here?"

The mention of Cathy's nickname for her ex-boyfriend caused Anya's heart to tighten with that familiar ache. "Draco isn't going to be coming by anymore," she told the little blonde.

Cathy looked confused. "Why? Did he do something wrong?" she asked.

Anya closed her eyes to blink back the tears. "He and I had a big fight and we broke up."

"Why? Can't you just talk about it? Mommy says that talking things out always makes everything better. Every time Brad and Debbie start fighting, Mommy tells them to talk it out and they do and then they apologize for it and hug and all. Just talk with Drake and it'll be alright."

Anya wanted nothing more than to believe that it could be as simple as Cathy put it. Little kids made everything sound so easy in life. But that was the whole problem: little kids didn't understand that some things were just too complicated and couldn't be solved with simply talking things out. And what Malfoy had done was even more difficult to forgive. "It's not that simple, Kitty-Cat. I trusted him to keep a really big secret for me and he didn't." She sighed as she pulled her little cousin closer. "Also, he was kind of seeing another girl while he was dating me- someone who didn't like me at all and I didn't really like either."

"But why?" Cathy asked again. "If he knew you didn't like her and you wanted him to keep a secret, why did he do what he did?"

"I don't know, kiddo," Anya said, tears slowly beginning to slip down her cheeks. "I don't know..."

,:~:,

Things only got marginally better when Anya and the girls returned to Hogwarts after winter break. And just as quickly, they became worse than before. Harry's special lessons about Voldemort with Dumbledore were at a dead-stop for the time seeing as the secret to finding the key to Voldemort's whole history was locked away in Slughorn's memories- a secret that the potions master was making sure to keep from everyone no matter what. When Harry had tried to find out about it, Slughorn shut down and was now refusing to even talk to the most famous wizard of all ages. If there was a key to defeating Voldemort, the chances of finding it were slim. Attacks were getting worse in the wizarding and muggle worlds, people disappearing left right and center, and Anya felt like things were spinning out of control.

Anya sighed as she flopped down on the couch after getting in from being in the library. What had started out as a one-man note organizing, hard-core study session had quickly become a major nap time at her table in the corner. The only reason why Anya wasn't spending the night there was because Madame Pince had found her just as she was getting ready to close the library for the night. Anya was bright red from the time she quickly shoved all her things into her bag and bolted out the door to running up the stairs and rocketing through the portrait hole to Gryffindor tower.

Anya was about ready to go up to bed and sleep the rest of the night away when she heard steps coming down the stairs from the dorm rooms. The American witch turned around to see Harry dragging a dazed Ron down the stone steps by his wrist. Harry looked somewhat worried as well as annoyed whilst their redheaded friend was staring off into space with the most ridiculous look on his face. "Hey guys... What's going on?" she asked.

Ron was the first to speak up. "Anya... you're a girl," he stated the obvious.

Anya stood up and made a show of patting herself down at the more feminine parts of her anatomy. "Well, it sure looks like it. If not, then Mother Nature has been giving me serious problems every month for nothing." Harry looked away in embarassement, but Ron seemed unphased. "Why?"

"What do you think Romilda would like better- chocolates or flowers? Or should I write poetry for her?" the redhead asked.

_'What the hell?'_ Anya thought. She turned to Harry for some kind of explination. "He ate a bunch of chocolates laced with love potion that Romilda Vane left for me," the dark haired wizard explained. Anya looked surprised. "Now he thinks that he's in love with Romilda."

Ron's head snapped towards Harry and he glared at his best friend. "I don't think, I _know_!" he exclaimed, yanking his wrist away. And as quickly as his moods changed, he was back to gazing into space, this time mumbling things about Romilda Vane being so beautiful and other junk.

Anya rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "What are we going to do with him?" she asked Harry.

Harry shrugged. "Bring him to Slughorn?" he suggested. Anya shrugged back before following after her two friends.

The school was deadly quiet and they were lucky not to run into any of the teachers or the aurors patrolling the halls so late at night. It didn't take long for them to reach the potions master's office. Slughorn seemed confused as to why his most talented student was coming to him for a love potion antidote when Harry could whip one up himself, but that confusion quickly vanished when Ron believed that Slughorn was his new latest love interest and tried to 'flirt' with him, wrapping his arms around the plump wizard. Anya and Harry led Ron over to the couch by the fireplace and had to force him to sit twice. Anya couldn't help but laugh at the frightened whimper the redhead had let out when he sat on the back of the couch and leaned back only to keep going back until he fell off.

Ron accepted the goblet of the antidote and quickly chugged it all down and the love-sick look in his eyes instantly vanished. "What happened to me? Anya, what are you doing here?" he asked.

"You let your sweet tooth get the better of you and ended up getting knocked on your ass with a love potion," Anya replied as she sat down beside him. "Maybe this will teach you not to touch things that aren't yours."

"I feel really bad," Ron groaned.

"You need a little pick-me-up," Slughorn insisted as he walked over to a table with a few bottles of liquor. "I have butterbeer, dazzling oak, matured mead... I had been planning on using this for another occassion, but I think this is a better use," the potions master said as he opened the bottle of mead and began to pour generous portions into goblets.

"Nothing for me, thank you," Anya said quickly before he began filling a fourth glass. "I'm not really a drinker."

"Perhaps a glass of water instead?" Slughorn suggested.

Anya shook her head. "Had a grandma who believed that toasting with water is really bad luck. She was always right and the last thing I'd want is to test her."

"Very well then," Slughorn said as he brought the three goblets with him back to the others and handed one to Ron and another to Harry. Ron didn't even bother waiting to toast and took a large sip. "To life!" he cheered.

Suddenly, Ron collapsed to the ground, effectively taking Anya down with him. Anya looked down at him and a terrified scream burst past her lips when she saw the foam bubbling out of his mouth as he began twitching around. Watching crime shows and reading mystery books, Anya knew that this sort of reaction normally came from a drug overdose or being poisoned. But all knowledge of what to actually do to save that person quickly evaporated from her mind as she watched her friend struggle for his life. "Harry, do something!" Anya shouted.

Luckily, Harry wasn't paralysed with shock like Anya was. Rushing to the traveling case on the table, the dark haired wizard began opening drawer after drawer to find something to help. Grabbing something from one of the boxes, he rushed back over to their side and shoved something into Ron's mouth. "Come on Ron! Breathe!" he encouraged.

The two friends waited with bated breath for only a moment longer before Ron began coughing as he breathed once more. He carefully sat up and looked around to see the shocked professor in the corner, a relieved Harry and a teary-eyed Anya staring down at him. "Blimey, Harry. These girls... they're gonna kill me," Ron croaked out. Then he simply layed back down and took deep breaths.

,:~:,

Anya stood at the foot of the bed Ron was currently resting in. After the near-death experience, the Weasley boy had been rushed up to the hospital wing where he could be watched over for the night properly. It came as no surprise that Harry, Hermione, and Anya had all spent the night by their friend's side along with Ginny, just as it was no surprise that they made no move to leave him the following morning. Madame Pomfrey told them that Ron was stable and would be in and out of conciousness for most of the day while the remainder of the poison was flushed from his system, but they still wouldn't budge until they knew he was out of the clear.

"That was very clever of you Harry, using a bezoar," Professor Dumbledore congratulated Harry when he came to the hospital wing to investigate what had happened, along with Professor Slughorn who had brought the same bottle of poisoned drink from the night before, Professor McGonagall who was checking on the student of her house before going to report to the Weasley family how he was doing, and Professor Snape. Anya noticed how the latter of the group's head snapped to attention at the mention of something he had taught them all on their very first day back in their first year. "You should be very proud of your student, Horace."

Slughorn looked up at the mention of his name, still in shock that something that had been given to him could have killed him and had nearly killed a student. "Oh... yes." And when he mention how he had planned to re-gift the bottle of matured mead to give to Dumbledore, his pale face became even paler.

"Where is he?! Where's my Won-Won?!" the shrieking voice of Lavender Brown cried as the sound of running footsteps came closer to the hospital wing. The annoying witch came rushing through the doors seconds later and she pushed her way through the crowd standing at the foot of Ron's bed. "Has he been asking for me?" she whimpered. But the moment she saw Anya standing there and Hermione sitting at Ron's side, the scared look in her eyes was replaced with hatred. "What are _you two_ doing here?" she barked.

Brown eyes narrowed with anger as Hermione looked at the girl. "I could ask _you_ the same thing!" she accused.

"_I_ happen to be his _girlfriend_!" Lavender said, acting like the statement would make them leave.

"That's still debatable," Anya scoffed.

"And I happen to be his... friend," Hermione shot back.

"Don't make me laugh! Neither of you have spoken to him in weeks!" Lavender scoffed, ignoring the jibe Anya made at her. "I suppose you want him for yourself now that he's all _interesting_," she mocked Hermione while motioning to the unconcious boy in the bed.

_'You're one to talk you frigging little brat!'_ Anya thought heatedly whilst fighting the urge to smack the pigtails right off Brown's head. _'It took you six fucking years to suddenly get an interest in him and then you only go and do anything about it once he's part of the Quidditch team!'_

"He's been poisoned, you daft bimbo!" Hermione said. "And for the record, I've always found him interesting."

"And I sure as hell don't remember seeing you anywhere last night when he was under a love potion or fighting for his life," Anya accused.

Just then, Ron began to stir, still under the effects of the potions Madame Pomfrey had given him to flush out the rest of the toxins in his system. Lavender laughed in triumphant when she thought he 'sensed her at his side', but the triumph was wiped away when he mumbled another girl's name under his breath... _Hermione's _name. Tears filled Lavender's eyes and she ran off with a dramatic cry of sorrow. "To be young, and to feel love's keen sting," Dumbledore quoted at what he'd just witnessed. "Come along everyone. Mr. Wealsey is well taken care of," he said, his blue eyes twinkling as he watched Hermione sit back down at Ron's side and took his hand in hers. And with that, he and the other professors left.

"About time, don't you think?" Ginny grinned as she passed by Harry and Anya, knowing that her brother was in excellent hands.

"Yeah," Harry replied, clearly not getting the hidden message in Ginny's words. The redhead just gave him a smile and left.

"So..." Anya began to tease her brunette friend. "You've _always_ found him interesting?" she asked with a cheeky grin.

Hermione couldn't help but smile. "Oh shut up!" she blushed.

Anya held up her hands in surrender. "Whatever you say, 'Mione," she replied. And with that, she grabbed Harry's arm and led him out of the wing.

"But shouldn't we stay-" Harry began to ask, but Anya stopped him short.

"Harry, just do what I say: zip it, lock it, throw it," she told him, using her free hand to make the motions of zipping and locking her lips shut before throwing away the key.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AC: WHY? Why did you do that?!<br>**_

_**MMM: Do what?**_

_**AC: Make me completely blank about how to save Ron! How can I become a healer like I want to if you make me do such stupid things when that sort of thing happens right in front of me?**_

_**MMM: Simple- A) Because people always tend to lose their calm or freeze when someone that is close to them is in a matter of life and death.**_

_**AC: Harry didn't blank or freeze up.**_

_**MMM: Actually, he did for a second. And B) This happened at Hogwarts.**_

_**AC: So? People were petrified back in my second year! How is this any different?**_

_**MMM: Because there was no giant snakes involved in this, now was there?**_

_**AC: *shrugs* How should I know? I'm just living the life as you post it and when you post it. I don't know what's going to happen in the future. If I did, it would make my life a lot easier!**_

_**MMM: *shakes head* Anyway, that's it for today. Don't forget to leave a review!**_

_**Nancy (aka megamatchmaker)**_


	71. Year 6 Ch9

_**MMM: Hey you guys! So here's the thing- I'm here at school in the computer lab but once again, I've already finished what needs to be done, so I've got free range to do whatever I feel like for the next couple of hours... This will be fun.**_

_**Anyway, I thought I should let you all know that I'm trucking through Year 7- which will hopefully be as good as the rest of the story has been- and I'm actually already starting to work on the sequel! Yay! Hey, does anyone have an idea for a title for the sequel? All I've got is Two Worlds Collide- going with the same theme as the first- but it sounds too much like a Demie Lovato song. Not that I have anything against her... It just doesn't feel right if that makes any sense.**_

_**AC: Yeah, it does seem a bit much.**_

_**DL: What's that suppose to mean?**_

_**AC: *squeals* Oh my God! It's Demi Lovato! *mega squeals***_

_**MMM: Demi,I don't mean anything against it and neither does Anya, it's just that the titlemight be a bit much. And although I appreciate the impromptu appearance, could you please go? Anya's a fan and she'll be squealing for the next several hours and I really need to get to work.  
><strong>_

_**DL: OK, but f you want to stay with the same kind of theme for the title, this would be a good sequel bit. And besides, the word 'two' is in it which could be used perfectly since it's a SEQUEL.**_

_**MMM: I'll think about it... *waits 'til star leaves* ...Or maybe not.*turns to character* And what was that about? Since when do you go freaking out over celebrities?  
><strong>_

_**AC: *shrugs*I'm growing up. I am sixteen after all.**_

_**MMM: Actually, you're only about two years old since this story only started back in 2011.**_

_**AC: You know what I mean! *marches off***_

_**MMM: O...K... Well,, hopefully, you guys enjoy this chapter. See you at the bottom!**_

* * *

><p><strong>Ch. 71 Skin Deep<strong>

It took a few more days before Madame Pomfrey allowed Ron to leave the hospital wing, but it was worth the wait to see him perfectly healthy once again. But what was really enjoyable was seeing the dirty looks Lavender kept throwing at the redhead whenever he passed by. Although Anya pitied the girl for the fact that she was more or less dumped by an unconcious guy, it was difficult not to laugh whenever Ron became uncomfortable with the staring.

"Stop it Ron, you're making it snow!" Hermione said one morning at the breakfast table. Sure enough, Ron had unconciously used magic to project the icy feeling he was once again receiving from his ex-girlfriend and small flecks of snow where fluttering down over their heads. A particularly large flake landed on the tip of Anya's nose, causing it to itch slightly before she let out a loud sneeze. The redhead muttered a quick 'sorry' as the snow stopped.

"Remind me again how I broke up with Lavender?" Ron asked the brunette beside him. Harry and Anya both looked up to see how Hermione would explain it to him.

"Well... Lavender went to visit you up in the hospital wing, and you... talk. I don't think it was a particularly long conversation," Hermione replied.

"That's an understatement," Anya mumbled under her breath before returning to her copy of the _Daily Prophet_. She listened as Hermione asked the redhead if he remembered anything about the other day but he brushed off what he thought he remembered as being 'boggled'. Anya resisted the urge to roll her eyes at how stupid they were being. _'Just kiss and get it out there already!' _she thought.

"Harry- it's Katie," Hermione suddenly said. Anya looked over her shoulder and sure enough, Katie Bell was walking into the Great Hall with her many friends. No one had heard a word from Katie since the day she'd been hexed and cursed by that dangerous necklace back in November.

Harry got up from his seat and followed after her, probably to ask her if she knew who it was that had given her that necklace to begin with. And it was no surprise to see his shoulders slump in defeat when Katie replied. Most people who suffer a tramatic experience often found themselves not remembering certain things before and after it happens. The chances of her actually remembering anything from that day were never very good to begin with.

Once he was finished talking with Katie, Harry had started to walk back over to Anya and the others, but suddenly, he started rushing right past them. Anya looked at the end of the Great Hall and saw a familiar head of platinum blonde hair walking away. Knowing that Harry's patience had reached its end and he would do something stupid, Anya got up. "I'm going after him," she said.

"Why?" Ron asked. "Just let him be. Besides, Malfoy deserves whatever he gets," he added. It was clear that he was still pissed off at the Slytherin for hurting his friend.

Anya rolled her eyes. "That may be, but the last thing Harry needs right now is to get suspended or something for harrassing a student." And with that, she ran after them, hoping she could catch up with Harry in time to stop him.

,:~:,

Draco couldn't stop crying. It was getting too hard to keep this up. The loneliness, the constant watching over his shoulder, the agonizing torture he was putting himself through every minute of every day. Through his tears, he stared down at his left arm and mentally cursed at the marking that was forever burned into his skin.

This nightmare had begun during the past summer. One day out of the blue, the deranged witch that was his aunt Bellatrix suddenly appeared in the grand foyer of the Malfoy Manor, along with several other Death Eaters and the Dark Lord himself. The evil wizard announced that Draco was to take up where his father had so carelessly failed in the battle between good and evil and as his first mission to prove himself, Draco was to remove the one thing that stood between You-Know-Who and his success: Dumbledore.

And then, to make matters worse for himself, Severus Snape, who was in fact Draco's godfather, made an unbreakable vow to Narcissa that if Draco didn't go through with the Dark Lord's wishes, he would kill Dumbledore himself.

If it had just been his own life that he had to worry about, then Draco would never have taken the Dark Mark and would have welcomed any punishment You-Know-Who would have layed upon him. But the Dark Lord swore that if Draco didn't join his rank like many before him, then he would kill any and all that the young wizard cared for, and the first person that came to mind was one Anya Collins.

Anya. The very thought of her name made the twisting in his gut become even more painful. Draco couldn't bare to see anything bad happen to her. She was his angel; his reason to live. He prayed to any higher being above that would listen to keep her safe from any and all harm. She was the one thing in life that he couldn't risk losing, but he already was risking that. If she ever learnt that he had become a Death Eater- even if it was by threatening her- she would never be able to forgive him. He didn't want to kill Dumbledore, but he couldn't risk her life because of it.

Draco could still remember the last time he talked with Severus about the task he'd been given.

_Flashback_

_ "What do you think you are doing?" Snape hissed at the blonde when they were away from Slughorn's Christmas party. "Do you realize how stupid you're little stunt was?"_

_ "Maybe I did hex that Bell girl, and maybe I didn't. What does it matter?" Draco hissed back._

_ Draco had hexed Katie Bell into delivering the cursed necklace to Professor Dumbledore. He had thought that if he hadn't directly handed the deadly item to the headmaster himself, then it would have been less of a weight on his shoulders when the man was found dead in his office. Draco never even thought of the possibility of Katie opening the package and being cursed herself. He had just wanted it to be over and done with so that he could find a way to escape from this nightmare._

_ Snape roughly grabbed the boy's shoulder and shoved him up against the wall. "Do you not understand? I made the unbreakable vow!" he nearly shouted, the sound bouncing off the walls of the deserted corridor._

_ "I don't need your help! I was chosen! This is _my_ moment!" Draco insisted in a voice that made it sound like he actually wanted to do this. The truth of the matter was, it made him sick to his stomach. It kept him up late at night and haunted his every waking moment. He just wanted to run as far away from all of it and never look back._

_ "I can see you don't need any help," Snape scoffed. "And do you really think you're fooling anyone with that Collins girl? The only thing you're doing is failing the Dark Lord and risking her life for it!"_

_ The thought sent a chill up Draco's spine, but he kept his face neutral. "What does she have to do with anything? And what does it matter to you, anyhow? Since when do you know anything about how I feel?" he hissed._

_ "Oh, I know _plenty_ on the matter," Snap shot back. "And I know that if you go through with this mission on your own, then she will _never_ forgive you, no matter how many things you buy her or how many times you apologize. But if you let me assist you-"_

_ "No!" the young wizard cut off the other. "It's not going to come to that because she _won't_ ever find out, and I _will_ do this without anyone's help!" And with that, Draco shrugged off his godfather's hand from his shoulder and hurried down to the Slytherin common room._

_End Flashback_

But things hadn't gone as planned. Every time Draco found the courage to actually attempt the assasination of the school's headmaster, something always got in the way. This time, it had been the Weasley boy who had become the victim of his attack. If Anya ever found out that it was Draco who had poisoned the bottle, then she would never forgive him.

"I know it was you," a voice sounded from the doorway. Through his tears, Draco saw Potter's reflection in the mirror. "You hexed Katie, didn't you Malfoy?" he accused.

Draco didn't know how it happened. Maybe it was his misery he was suffering through, or maybe it was more of a self-hatred that caused him to do it, but before he could stop himself, he began shooting curses and hexes at the famous 'Chosen One'. At first, he was shocked at what he had done, but once the first spell was cast, it felt too good to stop. It was something to blow off steam and right now, he had enough to go head to head against a dragon.

"What the hell is going on in here?!" a third voice asked through the spraying of water from broken pipes and smoke. Both boys stopped mid-battle to see a very stunned Anya standing at the door. Her wide violet eyes took in the rubble around them and the two wizards standing each other down. She barely cast Draco a second glance before rushing over to Potter's side. "Harry, what do you think you're doing?!" she shot at him.

"I know he did it Anya, and I'm going to prove it!" Potter insisted. "He's one of them!"

"Harry, will you please just drop this?" Anya begged. "This 'Death Eater' stuff has got to stop!" Draco's breath caught in his throat at those words. Potter knew and he'd told Anya. She just didn't know that her friend was right. "Do you even realize how crazy this all sounds? It's not natural for someone to have this kind of obsession over something like this!"

Potter looked down at her with anger in his eyes. "You just don't want to have to face the truth because you're still in love with the bastard!"

Draco felt his heart leap ever so lightly at the possibility. Was it true? Was there some part of Anya that could still care for the wizard with the doomed future despite all of the terrible things he had done in the last several months alone? He desperately hoped so. "Don't try to bring this back on me!" Anya shot back at her friend, her violet eyes now flashing with fury. "_I'm_ not the one who's been going around shouting 'Death Eater' at every turn like the little boy who cried wolf! _I'm_ not the one who's been going on and on about all this total _bullshit_ about attempted killings and Voldemort followers and all that other _crap_!" Potter scoffed and moved to continue the battle, but Anya side-stepped with him. "I'm serious Harry! Either you stop this nonscence yourself or I will!"

"Anya, get out of my way!" Potter shouted at the American witch as he tried to get around her again, but she mirrored his steps once more. "I'm serious Anya! Move!"

Potter swept his arm out to push Anya aside, but her foot slipped on the wet tiles and she fell. It happened so quickly that neither boy could do anything to stop her from sliding across the floor and hitting her head against the wall when she came to a stop, knocking her unconcious. Draco took one look at the pained look on Anya's face and the anger he had felt before came back ten-fold. Before he could stop himself or even think about what he was doing, he cast the torture curse at his rival. But Potter dodged the attack.

"_Sectumsemptra!_" the Gryffindor shouted and in the next second, a bright white flash shot at the blonde, sending him sprawling to the floor.

Pain: white hot, unbearable pain- it filled all of Draco's senses. He could hear his blood ringing in his ears, could taste its bitter copper flavor on his tongue. His skin was on fire as the feeling of a hot knife bitting repeatedly all over his body. Draco didn't even realize that the inhuman noises that echoed off the walls were coming from him. The last thing he saw was Anya's still form across the room as he reached out to her. Then, it all went dark.

,:~:,

A pained groan slipped past Anya's lips as she felt herself come back to the world of reality. Reaching her hand up to her head, she felt the scratchy fabric of a bandage wrapped securely around her head. Opening her eyes, she squinted as things appeared blurry and out of focus. "What happened?" she mumbled.

"You should be careful, my dear," the voice of the school's patron, Madame Pomfrey, sounded from her bedside. After blinking a few times, Anya could see the older woman's face more clearly instead of the blobs of red and white and peach. "You hit your head rather hard. I had to sew several stitches to your scalp."

Anya reached up further and sure enough, she felt the rough criss-cross pattern of the thread on the top of her head. Pulling her hand back into view, she studied the protego ring she always wore. "Guess you only defend against magical attacks, huh?" she asked the object. The light flickered lightly off the amethyst stone as if responding to her question.

"What I'm curious to know is why on earth you were in the gentlemen's lavatory?" the healer asked.

Anya cursed to herself silently. If Madame Pomfrey knew that she had been in the boy's bathroom when she got hurt, then chances were that someone had seen the disaster from the fight between Malfoy and Harry and had probably caught her friend in the act. She wanted to ask what was going to happen to Harry but if by some chance he hadn't been found at the scene, she didn't want to get him into trouble. "Well, I had been passing by when I heard some kind of noise. I thought something was wrong and I didn't want to risk someone getting seriously hurt while I went to find a teacher, so I went in. I didn't see anything before I slipped on the wet floor and slid into the wall."

"Well, you're very lucky unlike Mr. Malfoy over there," Madame Pomfret stated.

Ignoring the pain that it caused to move too quickly, Anya pushed herself up to look at the bed next to hers. What she saw made her gasp in shock: an unhealthy-pale Draco Malfoy laying in the small cot, his clothes covered in tears and blood. His face had several small cuts running in every which way and his eyes were sunken in and hollowed. "What happened?" Anya found herself asking.

"I honestly don't know. In all my years as a healer, this is the first time I have ever seen something such as this. I don't know what to make of it," the healer replied. "Mr. Malfoy lost a large amount of blood, and he shows signs of suffering from extreme stress, loss of sleep, and lacking proper nutritions. This young man is lucky that he even survived such an attack like this one." Getting up from the chair she'd been sitting in, Madame Pomfrey excused herself and left to go to her office.

Carefully getting out of bed, Anya stumbled over to the blonde's bedside. Looking down at his unconcious form, he looked even more frail and defenseless laying in that bed. Anya knew that this had something to do with the potions book Harry had found with all those unknown spells in it. She remembered seeing something that read 'for enemies' and she could only figure that this was what the spell did. She just couldn't believe this happened. "I'm so, _so _sorry," she whispered to the Slytherin Prince. Reaching down, she carefully took his hand in hers and gave it a comforting squeeze, but he continued to remain motionless.

The truth was that Harry had been right- Anya _did _still love the Malfoy heir. Try as she did, she just couldn't stop herself. He had made her feel so damn special like there was no other girl in the world besides her. When Anya had broke up with Draco, she had believed that it had all been just pretend, but as she thought more on it, he seemed far too sincere to have just been acting.

A door opened and Anya dropped the hand she was holding before she dived back into her own bed. "Well... your vitals are normal, and you don't seem to have a concussion. Have you tried standing yet?" she asked the younger witch. Anya got up from the bed again, this time more easily and without any dizzy spells. "I'd say you can leave then."

Anya gave the patron a small nod and with one final glance at the unconcious form in the bed, she left.

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><p><em><strong>MMM: So? Did you like it? Review, please! I'm finishing school on Friday! Consider it as my graduation present!<br>**_

_**NAncy (aka megamatchmaker)**_


	72. Year 6 Ch10

_**MMM: Sorry I've been so behind on the updates, you guys! My internet STILL isn't working so I have to wait until someone else is off their laptop to use it- hence why it's taken so long to update. But at least I've had more time to actually write the chapters. A lot of them too, I might add. Just need the final tweaking and editing before they're ready.**_

_**AC: So you mean there's actually a chapter update again? It's about time! I thought I was gonna grow old and grey before this was over!**_

_**MMM: You're a fictional character, written down on paper and typed on a computer screen. You are pretty much gonna be like this in the chapters that are posted/written for the rest of MY life. Translation- you're not really gonna grow 'old'.**_

_**AC: Oh... Then what's taking you so long to finish this?!**_

_**MMM: I give up!**_

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><p><strong>Ch. 72 Sparks<strong>

"Are you _sure_ that you can handle today's match?" Hermione asked Anya for what seemed like the tenth time in half as many minutes.

The American rolled her violet eyes at her friend. "Mione, would you just relax? It's not going to be that bad of a game. Honestly, I don't even know why the school is making us play today against Hufflepuff. They might as well just give Gryffindor the trophy now and save us the time and the trouble," Anya joked. Her head still ached a little and would probably remain tender where the stitches had been for the rest of her life, but it didn't mean that she was going to sit out the last and most important Quidditch game of the year. This one was for the title of Champions and Gryffindor was already down by their most valuable player.

As it turned out, there had been someone else other than Anya who had walked in on the showdown between Harry and Malfoy- Professor Snape. And he had walked in only moments after Harry had used the Half-Blood Prince's spell. As if it hadn't been bad enough that the spell was very dangerous to the point of it being deadly, it had been used against on Snape's favorite student. And of course, Snape's choice of punishment had been to remove his house's biggest threat at everything in the school. The ex-potions teacher would rather see Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw win the Quidditch cup- or anything for that matter- before he let the house of lions have the glory instead of Slytherin house.

And speaking of the Half-Blood Prince, Harry had to get rid of the previously-owned potions book when Snape demanded to see it. But Harry didn't want to see it possibly destroyed, so he switched the covering back to a newer book to show the teacher. The real book had been taken by Ginny and hidden somewhere in the Room of Requirement.

"But Anya, you're still technically healing. What if something happens? You could fall off your broom!" Hermione insisted.

Anya resisted the urge to roll her eyes again. "I'll be fine- don't worry so much. You'll give yourself an ulcer before you even reach twenty," she joked once again. That time, it did the trick and Hermione laughed with her. "Look- my head's fine, I'm fine, and I'm gonna play today. I _have _to: I don't want to let Harry down."

That seemed to convince the brunette to let the subject drop.

The match had been killer. The other team had been determined to win, but the mighty house of Godric Gryffindor was more motivated. And with the spunky Ginny Weasley subbing in for the team's seeker, there was no competition. The other house was slaughtered. What got everyone though was what happened back up in Gryffindor tower. Like their first match of the season, the students of the house of lions watched as one of the Weasley children on the team began to have a heated make-out session in the middle of the common room. But this time, it was the lovely Ginny Weasley with the Chosen One, Harry Potter. Anya heard glass shattering and saw Dean standing at the refreshments table with a broken glass goblet at his feet. Looking around, she saw many shocked faces and one very furious look on a pissed off Romilda Vane. Anya could have sworn that she saw smoke puffing out of the dark haired girl's nostrils.

,:~:,

"Hey there, Anya," Tyler greeted the American witch as she took a seat at the bar of the Three Broomsticks. Anya would have sat with her friends, but with Harry and Ginny- now a very serious couple- making lovey-dovey eyes and kissing one another, and a worried Hermione trying to keep an ill-tempered Ron from doing anything to his best friend, she didn't want to be anywhere near that.

"Hi Tyler," Anya greeted him with a smile. "Can I get a non-alcoholic apple cider with a... smoked ham and Swiss sandwich? With a large side order of fries and that brown gravy you guys use here," she ordered.

Tyler gave her one of his famous smiles. "You know, that's what I like about you, Anya. You don't care about what other people think about you- you do what you want and when you want to. You don't follow the crowd like most girls do. It's something else," he told her.

"Thanks," Anya smiled back. It was nice to see that _someone_ actually thought a girl who didn't eat less than a bird and even fewer calories, who didn't plaster herself with so much make-up that a meter stick wasn't long enough to measure it, or care about wearing the latest fashion trends was a catch. Tyler was just one of those guys that didn't care if a girl was supermodel material.

When Tyler came back with her order, he sat beside Anya and made small talk whilst she ate. At first, it was pleasant, but the longer he stared at her, the more she began to feel uncomfortable about it.

"So where do you plan on going after?" he asked casually at one point.

"Well..." Anya began as she wiped away the remains of her lunch, "Harry is pretty much lost for the day with Ginny, and Hermione's too busy stopping Ron from turning Harry into lunch meat, and Vi is somewhere with her boyfriend Ivan, so I was thinking I'd probably go wandering on my own or go sit under a tree somewhere and work on my music."

"I was actually hoping that you and I could talk about something," Tyler said.

"Why not just talk about it now?" It was clear he wasn't really working for the day and it wasn't like the pub was packed tight with customers. They were practically alone at the bar counter.

"It's kind of private," Tyler blushed. Then he looked up at her with those big, puppy dog eyes of his. "Please?" he begged.

Anya shrugged. What harm could it come to? So she payed her bill and waited for Tyler to clock out before they both headed out into the late spring air.

,:~:,

They walked in complete silence for a good few minutes and it became unbearable very quickly. "Well? I thought you wanted to talk to me about something," she said.

Tyler blushed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, I was actually wanting your help on something... it's actually girl trouble."

Anya's eyebrow almost reached her hairline. "Girl trouble? _You_? I don't believe that. I mean look at you! You've got that movie star, surfer God look going on. You're sweet, you're charming, you're _insanely_ good-looking, and here you are trying to tell me that you need my advice on _dating_?" She made a show of looking around them. "Is this some kind of prank? Am I on camera?"

Tyler blushed even harder than before. "Believe it or not, it's the truth. I'm having some girl trouble and I wanted your opinion on it."

"Well, what do you want to know?" Anya asked, still skeptical about this supposed trouble he was having with the ladies.

"It's that... there's this girl that I know... She's really special and I really like her and all that, but I'm not sure if I should tell her how I feel or not."

Anya gave him a look of surprise before giving a small shrug. "Is she pretty?" Tyler let out a groan at that question. "I'll take that as a 'yes'."

"She isn't just pretty, she's _lovely_," the boy replied.

"Is she smart?" Anya asked.

"The most intelligent girl there is."

Anya gave another shrug. "Well, then my only suggestion is to be direct: tell her how you feel. Or even better yet- show her. Girls like when guys do big dramatic things to show just how special they are to him. I'm not saying to show up at her front door in a full suit of armor, riding a white horse, but those special kinds of gestures that you see in love stories. Do you see where I'm going?"

Tyler nodded. "Yeah... but I'm worried. What if she doesn't like me?" he asked.

Anya rolled her eyes at that. "If she doesn't see how nice of a guy you are, then she just doesn't deserve you."

What happened next shocked Anya. As she took another step forward, a hand reached out and grabbed her by the elbow. Tyler spun her around and before she could ask what he was doing, his arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her close while his lips descended down onto hers. The shock of it was enough to stun her but then it sank in and she cursed herself for not realizing it. How could she not have seen that this whole thing about the'mystery girl' Tyler was crushing on was herself? She read enough of those mushy love stories to have known, but her mind told her that her friendship was too solid with him for there to have been _any _romantic notions. Clearly, he didn't think so.

Using all of her strength, Anya pressed hard against Tyler's chest to push him off. "What the hell?!" she exclaimed as she stepped back from her friend.

There was a tidal wave of emotions flashing through Tyler's eyes: relief, confusion, happiness, and sadness. "I thought you told me to do something big and dramatic," he said.

"I didn't think you'd do it to me!" she shot back. "Why did you do that?"

"Anya, _you're_ the girl I was talking about. Every time I'm around you, I feel like everything is right in the world and nothing can get to me. You're the most amazing, beautiful, talented witch I've ever met," Tyler told her honestly. "I think... I think I may even be falling in-"

"No!" Anya shouted, cutting him off as she clamped her hands over his mouth. "Don't you _dare_ say the 'l' word to me. Don't even _think_ it!" She looked up at him. "Now I'm gonna take my hands away and you're gonna let me talk before you say anything, is that understood?" He gave her a nod and she carefully pulled away.

"Look Tyler, I care about you. Really, I do." He seemed satisfied with that answer and took a step closer, probably to kiss her again, but Anya back away with her hands held up in from of her. "But this," she continued, making a motion between him and herself, "it's not going to happen, ok? I think you're great: you're sweet, you're funny, you have a wonderful personality... But I'm not the girl for you."

Tyler looked down at his feet and kicked at a rock on the ground. "Does it have anything to do with the Malfoy kid the other day in the pub?" Anya wanted to deny it but he looked back up at her. "I'm not completely clueless- I saw the way you were looking at him that day. I've seen that look a thousand times with the customers in the pub: that same longing look for someone they can't have."

It was Anya's turn to look embarrassed. "It's not about Draco... completely." She let out a sigh. "Draco and I had dated for a little over a year not that long ago. He made me feel really special, but he did some things that I just couldn't forgive him for."

"But _I_ can make you feel special too," Tyler pleaded. "And I would _never_ hurt you in_ any _way."

Anya shook her head as she gave him a sad smile. "I know you wouldn't. But like I said, it's not completely about him. It also has to do with me." Tyler gave her a look like he didn't believe her. "Look, you're a great friend to me- hell, you're like a brother. For me to imagine having the kind of relationship with you that you'd like to have with me... it would just be too awkward for me."

Tyler smiled and gave a small laugh. "I see what you mean. I guess it would seem a little weird." He sat down on a fallen log and leaned back to look at Anya. "Can I tell you something? Honestly?" Anya nodded encouragingly and sat down beside him. "It's just that a lot of my friends from back when I was in school, they're all with these girls who they were good friends with back in the day, and I see them being all so happy and stuff like that... I guess I just wanted to see if that could ever happen to me." He laughed sheepishly. "Sounds pretty silly, doesn't it?"

"No! No, it's not silly," Anya encouraged him. "I think it's incredibly sweet. And just because it didn't work out with me, that doesn't mean you should give up on the idea." She placed her hand on his and gave it a squeeze. "Promise me you won't give up."

Tyler smiled again and gave her a hug. "I promise." When he pulled away, his cheeks were bright red. "Well... I feel a little embarassed right now," he blushed.

Anya laughed. "Yeah, it does feel a little weird right now." She gave him another encouraging smile. "But we are still friends, right?" Tyler stood up with his back to her. "Tyler?"

He turned back with a large grin on his face. "Of course we'll be friends, sis," he teased as he held his arms out for a hug which Anya happily returned.

,:~:,

Draco was sitting in his bed up in the hospital wing, reading a book while trying to remain calm. Madame Pomfrey wasn't letting him leave the wing at all and every minute he stayed up there, he was risking his life against the Dark Lord. His body was fully healed from that spell Potter had used against him, but the healer witch refused to let him even get out of the bed. He had to get out and finish what he was doing for You-Know-Who. It was getting too dangerous.

"Mr. Malfoy, you have a visitor," Madame Pomfrey announced as she practically came out of no where.

"Who?" he asked, closing the book he wasn't really paying much attention to and setting it aside. Ever since he'd become a Death Eater, Draco had more or less distanced himself from everyone and stayed on his own. He didn't want anyone to know what terrible things he had been doing this year.

So it came as a really big surprise to see Anya come into the wing behind the patron.

"Hey there," she greeted him once Madame Pomfrey left. She held up a small paper bag. "Brought you some of my mom's baking she sent this morning: triple chocolate cookies and lemon squares." She placed them on the table in front of him and then sat down in the chair beside his bed.

"Umm... wow. Thanks," he said in surprise.

Anya gave him a smile and he felt his insides turn to liquid. That was the very same smile she use to give him when they were together. He thought he'd never see it again- not directed at him at least. "How you doing?" she asked him. "I heard you took a bad hit that day... and you haven't been taking care of yourself. Is everything ok?" she asked in concern.

Draco nodded. "I'm fine. I've just been under a lot of stress," he replied honestly but not giving anything away.

Anya's brow puckered and she gave him a worried look. "Is there anything I can help with? Do you want to talk about it?" She reached out to put her hand on his arm, but he pulled back before she got close. A flash of hurt crossed over her face and Draco just wanted to beat himself to a bloody pulp.

It wasn't because he didn't want her to touch him. Merlin's beard, if he could, he'd take her in his arms and never let her go again! But the arm she was about to touch was his left arm... the one where the Dark Mark was forever burned into his skin. Touching it acted like a signal to the Dark Lord, instantly calling out to him like a beacon. And if the dark wizard were to be called before Draco had completed with his mission, there was no telling what would happen.

Draco looked up as Anya stood up from her seat and before he could stop himself, he reached out and grabbed her arm. "Please don't go," he begged her. His sight became blurred with tears and the next thing he knew, he was wrapped up in Anya's arms and crying into her shoulder, letting out all the frustration, anger, and desperation out and he held her close. And Anya simply sat there and let him cry, gently rubbing his back and whispering soothing words into his ear.

After what seemed like hours, Draco pulled away from his love once he regained control over his emotions. "Sorry," he apologized, wiping away the last of his tears. "I don't normally act like that," he told her.

Anya gave him a comforting smile and handed him a box of tissues from his bedside table. "It's alright. Even guys need to have a good cry every now and then." She pulled back to sit back in the chair. "Feeling better?" Draco gave her a nod as he wiped his eyes again. "Good. So... do you want to talk about _why_ you've been under so much stress?"

Draco wanted so badly to tell her- to tell _anyone_ what was happening to him. Maybe if he did, they could help him break free of You-Know-Who's power over him. But then the images he'd faced every night in his dreams, the ones where he saw Anya's dead body broken and bloody on the floor, flashed by in his mind's eye and he couldn't say anything. If he did, he'd be putting her life in danger and he couldn't do that to his angel. So he just shook his head.

Anya didn't seem happy with that answer but she didn't push for him to say otherwise. "Well, will you at least promise me that you'll take better care of yourself?" she begged of him and he couldn't deny her that. She looked over her shoulder and Draco looked to see Madame Pomfrey coming back to check up on him. "I better get going," she said reluctantly as she stood back up. But before she left, she leaned over and gave him an affectionate hug and a quick kiss on the cheek before rushing out of the hospital wing.

For the first time in months, Draco didn't have any nightmares of the lifeless form of his reason for living. Instead, he dreamt of a vision in white, smiling up at him with bright violet eyes through a veil as he slid the ring onto her finger and vowed to love her for the rest of his life.

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><p><em><strong>MMM: Well, there it is. Another chapter done for the time being.<strong>_

_**Nancy (aka megamatchmaker)**_


	73. Year 6 Ch11

_**MMM: Sorry you guys! I know I've been really behind with the chapters, and I'd like to apologize for it. Unfortunately, my laptop has officially died on me. It was really weird- one second, it was working and the next, it shut down on its own. When I tried to power up again, it would either start up a system repair program- which kept going on for over 24 hours- or it would get to the windows 7 bit, then the screen would go blue and shut down again. I call that the 'blue screen of death'. Luckily, I had most of my new chapters saved onto a USB key, but all my other stuff- pics saved, music videos in progress, the 1st chapter to the sequel, my music even- is gone. I've got a cousin who might be able to find it on the brain or something, but it may take a while.**_

_**AC: That really blows chunks.**_

_**MMM: Tell me about it. I've got over a thousand songs easy on that thing, not to mention a whole bunch of great stuff I made for the story like special pictures I edited of the cast and some great video editing. It sucks that it's all gone now.**_

_**HP: But wait- how are you posting this?**_

_**MMM: Dad's taking a nap and let me borrow his computer.**_

_**HP: Oh.**_

_**MMM: Well, enough of my sob story. Let's get back to the REAL story. You know- the one the viewers want to read.**_

_**AC & HP: Right! *rush off to get ready***_

_**MMM: Enjoy, ladies and gents!**_

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><p><strong>Ch. 73 Luck Overdrive<strong>

Things were getting nowhere with Slughorn and his secret memory. Every time Harry tried to confront the potions master or even so much as talk to him, the plump wizard would find some excuse to run off like a do with its tail between its legs. Even the rest of the Golden Quartet did their best to corner him so Harry could find out the secret about Voldemort, but he always found some way to elude them.

"This is just friggin-hopeless!" Anya huffed as she flopped into the couch in front of the fireplace up in Gryffindor tower. "Slughorn keeps getting away from us every time! It's like every time we get _this close_ to catching him, he finds some excuse so he can run off and leave us like sitting ducks!"

"Anya's right," Ron agreed as he sat down on her right. "It's bloody difficult to get him to fess up."

"Well, we can't just give up!" Hermione insisted. "Sooner or later, he's not going to expect us and we'll find out what we need to know," she said as if it were that simple.

Anya pulled her arm of from her eyes and looked at the brunette with a look that said 'have you hit your head or something?' "Mione, it's gonna be next to impossible to get him when he 'doesn't expect us'. We've been trying to corner him every day for the past several weeks! Do you seriously believe that he's going to expect us?"

Hermione shrugged. "Well, if we leave him alone for a few days, he's sure to drop his guard-"

"Have you forgotten that every day we don't find out about Voldemort, the closer he gets to breaking in to Hogwarts?" Harry reminded their brilliant friend.

"I still say we either catch him, tie him up somewhere and force him to cough up the secret, or we get him so plastered that he'll tell us anything willingly," Anya said.

Ron cringed. "How about we avoid that last bit?" he asked. Anya gave him a confused look. "You just said that he'd tell us _anything_ if we get him too drunk. I don't know about you lot, but I don't feel like being scarred for life by something he goes blabbing about." Everyone cringed at the mention of that.

"Good point," Anya agreed.

"Let's face it. The only chance we have is finding some kind of bloody miracle or having a boat-load of luck," Ron finished.

Something clicked in Anya's head. "What was that you just said?" she asked the redhead.

"I said we'd either need a miracle or a lot of luck," he repeated.

Harry and Anya looked at each other and it was clear that they both had the same idea. "How about a little liquid luck?" Anya questioned.

"Of course! The Felix Felicis!" Hermione caught on with a smile. Harry quickly dashed up to they boy's dorm room and returned a few minutes later with the familiar vial of gold liquid. He poured a small portion of the potion into the cap and got ready to drink it. "Wait a minute- shouldn't you take some more of it? Make sure that it'll work?" Hermione asked.

Harry shook his head. "I only need enough for two or three hours. That'll give me plenty of time to find Slughorn and get him to tell me the truth." And with that, he tipped the potion back and drank the few drops.

It was odd to watch as a sort of golden flash shone through Harry's green eyes and a dopey grin bloomed across his face. Anya felt a little worried as he stared off into space. "How do you feel Harry?" she asked him.

"Excellent," he grinned. "Really, _really_ excellent!" He sprang out of his seat along with the others. The only time Anya ever saw this sort of reaction was when her muggle friend, Irene, had drank three full cans of energy drinks while rehearsing for a play: the Holt girl had to be dragged off stage by her twin sister when she collapsed in the middle of her audition.

"Remember- Slughorn usually eats early, takes a walk, and then returns to his office for the night," Hermione reminded their friend.

"Right... I'm going down to Hagrid's!" Harry said as he walked away.

"Whoa, wait a sec there, cowboy!" Anya exlcaimed, making the dark haired wizard stop in his tracks. "Didn't you just hear Hermione?"

"Yeah, I know. But I have a really good feeling about Hagrid's- I feel like it's the place to be! Do you know what I mean?" The three friends all shook their heads and said 'no'. "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. Or... Felix does," Harry continued before leaving right out the portrait hole, letting out a loud and overly-happy 'hi' at the students he passed by on the way.

Anya shook her head and grabbed her jacket. "I'm going after him. Make sure he doesn't fall on his ass or something."

"Are you sure that's a good idea Anya?" Ron asked. "What if that does something to affect the potion's powers?"

Anya looked back at the redhead. "I'd rather _not_ see my friend walk around the school in some drunk-like state and get himself hurt." And with that, she ran out after their friend.

,:~:,

"Harry, would you please wait up?!" Anya shouted after her friend as he walked ahead with her running to keep up with him. It was crazy how this luck potion made such a change in the young wizard. He somehow was able to get every staircase he needed, while Anya herself had to nearly jump a six-feet distance to catch the steps before they were out of reach. Every stone and crack in the ground tried to stop Anya from following while Harry dodged each and every one like he wasn't even trying. He wasn't even out of breath while Anya was almost doubled over in gasps.

"Sorry Anya," Harry apologized as he slowed down marginally. "Guess I should probably slow down a bit or something, huh?" he grinned.

Anya huffed as she raced forward. "It would make things a lot easier," she told him through her panting. "God, that potion is being one hell of a pain! I don't remember running this much since the night we nearly got caught by Filch and found out why the third floor corridor was out of bounds." It was hard to forget nearly getting your head bitten off by a giant dog that had three heads of its own.

Harry laughed. "Yeah, that was rather amusing, wasn't it?" He didn't seem to notice the shocked look on Anya's face and continued past the greenhouses.

That was when the potion really began to kick into high gear. As they walked by the herbology section of the school, the two friends saw the familiar plump frame of the very person they needed to see. Slughorn carefully opened one of the windows from the outside and reached in. As they stepped closer, Anya could hear snipping like a pair of scissors. Looking over the potions master's shoulder, she saw him cutting small leaves off the venomus tentaculas plants that sat there. Slughorn looked back and when he saw them, the man nearly jumped right out of his skin. "Merlin's beard! Harry... Ms. Collins," he exhaled.

"Sorry Professor. I should have announced my presence- coughed or something. You probably feared that I was Professor Sprout?" Harry said, his tone overly chipper as the result of the luck potion. Anya was positive that if this hadn't of been a matter of safety for the entire world, she would have probably smacked him upside the head for being so peppy. But then again, with his luck, she'd probably miss and hit herself. Stupid Felix Felicis...

"What would make you say that?" Slughorn asked defensively. It seemed that the man didn't care much for being accused of... whatever it was that he was doing.

"Well, it's the general behavior," Harry commented. "The sneaking around, the jumping when you saw Anya and myself... Are those tentacula leaves? They're quite valuable, aren't they?" he asked as if it had only just registered in his mind what the professor was doing.

"Ten galleons a leaf to the right buyer. Not that I've any personal knowledge in such practice- my only interests are purely scientific," Slughorn defended himself, but it only made Anya roll her eyes. Living in New York City, when people denied certain things- mostly stuff that tends to be involved in the black market and dealing- they were normally doing exactly just that. And considering that the person in question was someone who had a taste for the finer things in life, it wasn't that much of a stretch to think he'd be into that sort of thing.

"Personally, these plants always creeped me out." Anya had to stiffle the laugh that threatened to come forth at her friend's confession. The potion seemed to have some bizzare effects on the drinker. The plant was something like a tiny venus flytrap with vines and a personality of its own. If it weren't for the snapping teeth, Anya would almost think them to be cute. "Well, we better be going, huh Anya?" Harry asked her.

"Oh... yeah," Anya agreed as she followed after him.

"Harry!" Slughorn exclaimed in shock, causing both students to stop in their tracks.

"Sir!" the younger wizard exclaimed in more of a laughing matter, as if there was something amusing about it.

"I can't very well let you two run about the grounds this late at night!" Slughorn announced. "How did you get out of the castle in the first place?"

"Front door," Anya replied with a shrug.

"And where exactly do you think you are going?" the potions master questioned.

"Well, we were off to visit Hagrid. You see, he's a dear friend of ours and we fancied paying him a visit," Harry explained, "so if you'll excuse us."

He went to walk away again, but the teacher stopped him. "You know very well that you shouldn't be out at such a late hour alone! Not in these times!" Slughorn insisted.

"Well then by all means sir, perhaps you should come along with us?" Harry suggested.

"He should?" Anya repeated. She saw the gold flash in her friend's eyes again. "Oh! Yeah, definitely!" she agreed whole-heartedly.

,:~:,

What they found when they got there was quite a surprise. Hagrid was standing behind his small hut of a home, dressed in very dark clothing with Fang at his side. Before him was a giant hole dug out of the dirt right beside his famous pumpkin patch. And on the other side of it, laying on its back with its many hairy legs up in the air, was a very large, very _dead_ giant spider.

"Eww," Anya grimaced as she cringed away from the large thing. "That is nasty," she whispered.

"Wait a minute... that's Aragog!" Harry announced in his currently overly-chipper state.

Anya stood there stunned. "'Aragog'? You mean you knew that... creature?" she asked. She wanted to call it something far more insulting to its kind but judging by the grave and the many tears falling from Hagrid's eyes, now wasn't the time to be insensitive. "And why does that name sound familliar anyway?"

"He's what people in the school thought lived in the Chamber of Secrets back when Voldemort was here," Harry replied.

"Wait a sec- you mean _this_ is the acromantula that nearly turned you and Ron into human meatloaf for his hundreds of freaky little kids? _This_ is the thing that got Hagrid expelled from Hogwarts?" she questioned. When her friend nodded his response, Anya looked back at the dead spider. _'OK, not really feeling sympathetic for the guy... not that I was to begin with.'_

Slughorn was just as surprised when he saw the dead creature spread out on the ground. When he asked the half-giant how he had killed it, Hagrid looked at him in appall, saying that Aragog had been his closest and dearest friend for so many years. What disturbed Anya was when the potions master was given permission to extract a few vials of the acromantula's venom: he pulled off a pincer in his attempt to achieve his 'academic work'. After just disposing the piece of rotting flesh on the ground, Slughorn came back to stand with the others and gave a few words in respect to the King or Arachnids.

"Sure hope his kids stay in line and in those woods," Anya whispered to Harry as the two teachers worked together to bury Aragog's body. Without the only thing that kept those hundreds upon hundreds of giant spiders in line, she seriously hoped that they wouldn't come and attack the castle.

Eventually they all moved the mourning party into Hagrid's hut. Anya and Harry watched as the two older wizards slowly became more and more drunk as they kept toasting Hagrid's departed friend. "At this rate, we'll probably have the same plan I came up with before," Anya commented as Slughorn's pungy face became bright red as the alcohol pumped through his bloodstream. "If they start singing the 'Rain in Spain', I'm gonna smack them silly." As it was, she had already listened to a drunken version of Hogwarts' school song, along with a very out of tune British Anthem and a few other songs she didn't recognize. As they finished one song, Harry began to clap enthusiastically and Anya followed with a confused look on her face.

"I had him from an egg- no bigger than a pickoneeze, mind you." Anya's browline nearly shot past her hairline when Hagrid announced that. She didn't know how big these 'pickoneeze' things are, but judging by what she just saw it wasn't tiny by any means.

"How sweet!" Slughorn slurred. "I once had a goldfish- Francis. He was very dear to me. One day, I came downstairs... and he was gone. Just like that. But that's life, isn't it? One minute, you're here and the next... poof!" He made a show of the late goldfish vanishing in some puff of smoke. As he finished saying that, a thud sounded through the tiny hut and snoring could be heard as the half-giant had passed out due to the amount of booze he'd consumed.

"I'll try to get him to his bed," Anya commented. She pulled out her wand and muttered the levitating spell. The eight foot tall being slowly hovered over to the bed in the corner of the house and Anya pulled the blankets over Hagrid's form. As she stepped back out of the room, she cast a silencing charm on the doorway.

"...The day Francis had disappeared, the day the bowl was empty... was the day your mother died," Anya heard Slughorn tell her friend. The American stayed hidden behind the wall, not wanting to intrude on the conversation. The potions teacher continued talking, even knowing in his drunken state that Harry wanted to know the secret he was keeping and refused to tell it. But it seemed that Harry still had some luck remaining because he was very convincing as guilted Slughorn by saying how Mrs. Potter had sacrificed her own life to saver her son's and if Slughorn didn't help with defeating Voldemort, then her sacrifice would be in vain if the dark wizard won so later on in life. Slughorn gave over the real memory and Anya and Harry left as he fell asleep at the table.

"Way to go, Harry!" Anya congratulated the young wizard as they hurried through the night up to the castle. She stared at the tiny vial with the floating silverly wisp. "So that's what a person's memory looks like, huh?" she asked.

"Yup," Harry replied, the potion finally worn off as he returned to his normal state."I better get this up to Professor Dumbledore right away," he commented.

"Umm... it's almost ten. I think he's probably asleep by now," Anya stated as she looked at her watch. "Why don't you try first thing tomorrow?" she suggested.

Harry sighed but he knew that Anya was right- she always was. So he nodded. Just as he did, a loud yawn escaped both of them. Both friends looked at each other and found themselves laughing. "Race you to Gryffindor tower," Anya said seconds before she darted up the stairs and ran towards their common room, Harry directly behind her.

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><p><em><strong>MMM: Well, there you go. Hopefully, I can keep going. The whole laptop issue is really depressing me, but I'll do my best to keep going. After all, we're so close to the end!<strong>_

_**Don't forget to review! It's the only bit of sunshine in the day for me lately!**_

_**Nancy (aka megamatchmaker)**_


	74. Year 6 Ch12

_**MMM: Hey there, my wonderful readers. So I've got another chapter ready for you today. Unfortunately, year 6 is coming to a close VERY soon, and that means that this story is almost over with. A part of me is kind of sad about that. I mean, I've been working on this for literally a little over two years now. Why am I suddenly getting flashbacks to when I graduated from high school? ... I'm getting off topic, aren't I? Well, let's just get on with the chapter, shall we?**_

_**AC: Why don't I like the title of this chapter?**_

_**MMM: Because it has a very disturbing scene coming up.**_

_**AC: Can I just skip this one any others until it gets better? *smiles hopefully***_

_**MMM: Sorry, but no. From here on, there really isn't any 'better'. Not for a LONG time. Besides, I've already written you in.**_

_**AC: *frowns***_

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><p><strong>Ch. 74 Greatness Falls<strong>

The memory, it seemed, held a secret that was very, _very_ big- bigger than even Dumbledore had originally thought. Harry said that the mysterious item a young Voldemort had asked Slughorn about was called a 'horcrux'. Apparently, this particular item was very serious dark magic where a person would split their soul- in the state of killing an innocent person- and hid the piece away in an object as simple as a book or whatever. With that, there was difficult to kill the person who had performed such sinister magic. And according to the memory, Voldemort had possibly made _seven_, one of them being the diary Harry destroyed back in their second year and the other being a small onyx ring that had apparently belonged to Voldemort's grandfather on his mother's side... the side he'd been exciled from when his mother fell in love with a muggle.

"You guys, I have to talk to you," Harry said a few days later. Anya and the others looked between themselves before following their friend away from the lunch hour crowd to a deserted corridor. "I'm going with Dumbledore tonight to find one of the horcruxes," he announced. "Dumbledore thinks he knows where one of them is."

"Where?" Ron asked.

"I don't know, he wouldn't tell me," Harry replied. He then reached into his pocket and pulled something out which he handed over to Hermione. "I want you guys to take this: seperate it between yourselves and Ginny," he instructed. Anya looked over the brunette's shoulder as she opened her hand to see the remaining Felix Felicis resting in her palm.

"Why are you giving this to us?" Hermione asked him.

"Yeah Harry, why do we need this? Shouldn't you use it?" Anya added. The American witch was positive that if there was a horcrux hidden where they were going, then Voldemort wouldn't have just left it there without putting some serious protection charm around it to keep people away.

Harry shook his head. "I'll be alright. I'll have Dumbledore beside me. What I want is to make sure that the people I care about most right here are going to be safe. Please you guys?" he begged. The three friends were reluctant, but they agreed none the less. "Alright... Well, I need to get going. Dumbledore said that we need to make sure everything's right before we leave."

"Harry, wait!" Anya called out to her friend as he walked away. The dark haired wizard turned just in time to catch the American witch as she ran at him full speed and gave him a monstrous hug. "You better come back to us, otherwise I'll kill you," she told him. Harry laughed at the joke as he returned the hug before letting her go. "I mean it, Potter! You better be super careful or else!" she 'threatened' him. He gave her a nod before he took off towards Dumbledore's office. Anya watched until he turned the corner. "We should probably find Ginny and let her know what's going on," she suggested. The others agreed and they walked off to find the youngest Weasley.

,:~:,

Draco was going to be sick. After he was finally released from the hospital wing, he had overheard Snape talking with the headmaster that the school wasn't going to be protected properly whilst he was gone. The Malfoy heir knew that this had something to do with Dumbledore's mysterious disappearing this past year. The chances of the Dark Lord already knowing were extremely high and Draco knew that he'd have to go through with his plan tonight.

So at a little after ten, he found himself up in the Room of Requirement standing in front of the vanishing cabinet he'd been mending all year. It was time.

Draco muttered the spell that activated the cabinet and waited. It didn't take long before the door creaked open and a dark mist leaked out. Draco had to keep himself from running away when he saw his aunt Bellatrix appear from the mist flanked by several other Death Eaters.

"You did well, Draco," Bellatrix congratulated the teen like a proud mother, only Draco didn't feel proud. Seeing the sick, twisted smile on her face made him want to shrink away in fear from her. "You know what to do now," she told him. She was ecstatic at the thought of Dumbledore's death and she thought it was some great honor in being the one to deal such a fate.

So with his crazed aunt and wizards who would kill him in an instant on his tail, Draco headed up to the last place he saw Dumbledore heading to earlier that night- the Astronomy tower. They only let him out of their sight for a moment while he went up alone. As Draco got closer to the top, he could have sworn that he heard more than one voice. But when he reached the landing at the top of the stairs, he saw the older wizard standing by himself.

"Good evening Draco," Dumbledore greeted the student as if he weren't being stared down by the threatening end of a wand. "Out for a late-night stroll, are we?"

"Who else is here? I heard voices," Draco demanded, his Malfoy demeanor taking control once again. If he could just keep it up for a few more minutes, he'd be able to complete his task. But the longer he waited, the more he felt himself wavering. Memories of such special times spent with Anya in this place flashed through his mind and the thought of soiling this spot with death was sickening. But Draco knew he'd have to do this in order to keep his love safe, even if that meant she'd hate him for the rest of his days.

"I often tend to talk with myself. I find it helps releaves certain stresses along with aiding one to clear their senses. Perhaps you should try it," Dumbledore suggested. Then he began to talk about the different attempts on his life and how he had known that it had been Draco behind it all. When he tried to convince Draco that he could help him, the young wizard was ready to cry out in misery.

"I don't want your help! Don't you understand? I have to do this! I have to kill you... or he's going to kill... me," Draco whimpered. He almost said Anya's name but he stopped himself just in time. He heard the footsteps quickly coming up the stairs and he knew that it was Bellatrix and the others. If any of them heard about a pureblood under You-Know-Who's command being in love with a muggleborn, they'd both be dead. Dumbledore took his own wand from his pocket to defend himself, but Draco quickly disarmed him. He didn't realize how much more difficult it made things at killing an unarmed man.

When the headmaster heard the steps getting closer, he asked how it was possible with such high security on the school. As a last request, Draco explained about the vanishing cabinet in the Room of Requirement and its twin in Borgin and Burks in Knockturn Alley. Even when staring death in the face, the older wizard acted as though he was pleased at how smart one of his students had become, at how resourceful Draco was.

Bellatrix stepped into the room and she seemed pleased at what she saw. "Good boy, Draco," she grinned before she began to taunt the wizard of good in the room. Then she began to tell Draco to finish off the man.

"No," a voice said from behind him and Draco turned to see his godfather standing there. Draco knew why the man was there: Draco would never be able to kill the headmaster, no matter how hard he tried to convince himself, he could never be able to do it. Snape said that he'd go through with it if Draco didn't and he would have to.

"Severus... please," Dumbledore begged, seeming to come to terms that the one person he thought he _could _trust was about to end his life.

But Snape remained unphased. Taking quick aim, he shouted the killing curse and that unmistakable green light fired at the older wizard and the next thing Draco knew, he was watching as Dumbledore's body tipped back over the railing and fell from the tower.

,:~:,

"Guys, look!" Anya shouted as she pointed to the sky. Ginny, Ron, and Hermione all looked up to see something falling from the Astronomy tower high above- a _person_. And seconds after the body tumbled over the side, a bolt of white light shot up into the sky from the tower and into the dark clouds that loomed over the school, twisting them and shaping them so that they took on the shape of a grey snake darting out of the mouth of a human skull... just like the Dark Mark.

Hogwarts was under attack.

"Guys, the potion! Now!" Anya ordered.

Hermione pulled the tiny vial of Felix Felicis from her pocket and took a tiny sip before passing off to Ron, who did the same before passing it to his sister. Ginny took her sip and passed it off to Anya who downed the last of the luck potion in one go.

It felt strange as the potion began to take effect. The whole world seemed to have a golden hue to it now, certain things glowing even brighter than others as if to tell Anya to take that particular corridor or something like that. She looked down at her hands and she suddenly had the feeling that she should switch things so that her protego ring was on her right hand and her watch was on her left wrist. Figuring that it was the potion telling her what to do, she followed its silent order.

The ring was barely past her knuckle when a spell was fired, barely missing her as it flew off course to hit the ground only inches to her left. Looking up, she saw what she only could guess was one of the Death Eaters standing at the other end of the corridor. "Run!" she shouted to her friends as she pushed them in the opposite direction, following right behind them. She ran as fast as she could but a hand shot out from the black mist that was flying behind her and grabbed her right wrist, spinning her around to have her face with the hidden face of the Death Eater.

"Wrong move, dear," the masked wizard said, his ice blue eyes flashing with dark desire as he stared down at her form.

"Wrong hand," Anya barked back. She flicked her free hand out and her wand flew out of her sleeve into her hand. Before the older man could try to stop her, she stunned him and had him flying back into the darkness. "Thank you, Felix," Anya grinned to herself before running after the others.

The next few minutes past by in a daze. Anya could only seeing things as if through another's eyes as she fought off more Death Eaters in the courtyards and throughout the school. Students ran back and forth in a blur of fear and adrenaline. At one point, she saw a familiar head of platinum blonde hair. "Draco!" she called out before rushing after him. But when she saw him rushing away from the fighting crowd with a few of the other Death Eaters, led by none other than Bellatrix Lestrange, the same bitch who had killed Sirius only last year, she felt her heart constrict in her chest. She just couldn't believe what she was seeing- Draco _was _a Death Eater? All this time, Harry had been _right_? Anya thought that this was some bad dream, but the screams of terror around her made it too real. Was this the potion's idea of luck, by making her see the truth behind the boy she was in love with? She could hardly breathe.

Then that familiar burning anger settled in her heart: anger at Malfoy for making her feel sorry for him again, anger at Voldemort for his narrow-minded thinking of the wizarding world, but most importantly, anger at herself for falling for that same old routine over and over again. Every time she thought she was free of that trap, something would always come along and she found herself snagged in the spider's web again.

"Anya, look out!" she heard Ron shout at her as a body slammed into her from the side, causing her to crash to the floor.

Looking back, she saw a large blade wedged into the wall that had been behind her directly level with where her neck had been. Looking up, she saw the Death Eater who had thrown the deadly weapon getting ready to throw another. "_Levicorpus!_" she shouted and the dark wizard began to float upside-down. She waited until he was a good six feet from the ground and rammed him into a nearby stone pillar to knock him out cold before she let him drop. She turned back to her redheaded friend. "Thanks, Ron."

"Don't mention it," he grinned before tugging her up to her feet to run away. Looking back over her shoulder one more time, she saw silver eyes stare at her with fear and worry before they disappeared behind the wall.

And then for some strange reason, the fight just stopped throughout the school. All the Death Eaters disappeared in wisps of black smoke as they apparated away. Anya could feel the last of the luck potion wear off from her system as it became deathly quiet. She heard some sort of commotion going on over by the courtyard and she followed the crowd to see what had happened.

Harry was crouched down on the stone pathway surrounded by all the students and teachers of Hogwarts. And there, lying on the ground in front of him, his withered skin ashy grey and spotted with blood spatter, was the body of headmaster Albus Dumbledore. He was dead.

Blinking back the tears that threatened to fall, Anya looked up at the sky and saw the Dark Mark still hovering overhead in the clouds, its sinister form mocking the fall of such a great and noble wizard. Professor McGonagall seemed to notice that too and she reached up her hand to the sky, a small ball of white light forming at the tip of her wand. Slowly, more and more wands began to glow bright white and the dark clouds overhead began to fade away, taking the symbol of Voldemort's evil away with them.

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><p><em><strong>HP: He's dead?! How could you do that?!<strong>_

_**AC: I didn't kill him! Technically, it was J.K. Rowling and Severus Snape who did!**_

_**AC: But you're the one writing THIS story, aren't you? What happened to that creative license crap you keep going on about?**_

_**MMM: I had to save most of it for the chapters of Year 7! With you in the picture, there was a lot that I needed to tweak and whatnot in order to make it all work and for you to have an important role in the story, Anya. So don't go biting my head off, thank you!**_

_**Readers, please review before my character decides to kill me! Bye! *runs off***_

_**Nancy (aka megamatchmaker)**_


	75. Year 6 Ch13

_**MMM: I'm SO sorry, you guys! I have been SO behind, it's not even funny! And the worst part is that I don't know why I'm behind. Hopefully, I haven't lost you guys due to my procrastinating, but I wouldn't be surprised if I did. And for those who have stuck by me and waited- VERY patiently I might add, I thank you all.**_

_**Now I should warn you that this is the last chapter to Year 6. The next chapter will be the beginning of Year 7, which is going to have enough chapters to be in the 20's range. (I've made quite a few changes to the original work.) Not to mention, I'm also working on the sequel (yes, I'm writing one.)**_

_**AC: And here I thought the story was going to end when it ACTUALLY ENDED originally.**_

_**MMM: Like I've said before, a sequel would be a bunch of one-shots involving your life between the end of the big battle to the beginning of the 19 years later epilogue.**_

_**AC: Are there gonna be scenes that involve something bad happen to me, 'cause if so, I'm so outta here!**_

_**MMM: If there is something that happens, then it'll be really small or thrown in last minute, 'cause I've got the entire sequel planned out on paper. All that's left is to actually write and type.**_

_**AC: *grumbles* Guess I can handle that... for now.**_

_**MMM: Alright then. How about we let people get to reading the actual chapter now?**_

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><p><strong>Ch. 75 The Funeral<strong>

The school was deadly quiet the next morning. Not a single word was said as the students gathered on the grounds near the waters of the Black Lake and took their seats. Some were a little beaten and bruised from the fight the night before, but were otherwise fine. A few of the pureblood students- who no doubt had family members who were Death Eaters- had left with the rest of Voldemort's followers last night. Anya was hurt that she knew of Draco's true nature but there was no changing that now. He made his choice and she had made hers: the next time she saw him, she wouldn't let her feelings get in the way and she would fight him for revenge.

The biggest shock of them all was finding out that Snape was a Death Eater too. Anya thought for sure that at least he could have been trusted, but it turned out that he too had fooled everyone into thinking that he was on the good side.

Morning came and with it, the day of Professor Dumbledore's funeral. Since no one knew much of the late headmaster's family, the teachers believed that the best choice was to have the body layed out here at the school. Hogwarts had been a part of Dumbledore's life and no one could think of a better fitting for his final resting place than this. Anya looked over at the small island that sat in the middle of the lake where the stone tomb would forever hold the body of Albus Dumbledore. It seemed so odd to actually be witnessing this. Sure, she hadn't expected that the man would live forever, no one did. But it just seemed to be some sort of bizzare dream to know that a wizard who had lived for so long and had been so important to the world he was a part of to just be gone.

The ceremony had been short because no one could really say much about Dumbledore. He had kept to himself enough that none of the teachers even knew him well. It was just simple things like "he was a great man" and "he will be dearly missed" - things that weren't even close to what the wizard deserved to be said of him but were the only things that _could_ be said. Even the song that Anya had been asked to sing in his memory still didn't feel right. No gesture of respect seemed to be enough to properly honor him.

But how could one properly pay their respects to a man they knew so little about?

After the memorial, the students began to prepare their things for the train ride home. Anya and the others had already taken care of their things seeing as none of them could properly sleep last night on account of what had happened, so they decided to go up to the Astronomy tower. Anya thought it would be too painful for Harry to be back up there considering he had been hiding just under the platform when Dumbledore had been killed, but he seemed to take it well.

"Harry, what is that?" Hermione asked. Anya looked over his shoulder to see that he was fiddling with some sort of golden locket with the letter 'S' made of a serpent carved out of emeralds and a red stone centered in the eye. The American witch could only guess that this was what the late headmaster and her friend had gone to retrieve last night.

Harry dropped the locket into Hermione's hand. "It's fake," he told them. "It was for nothing."

"You couldn't have known, Harry," Anya insisted as she placed her hand on his shoulder. She looked at Hermione for help but the brunette was opening the fake horcrux. Resting inside on a cushion of green velvet was a folded piece of parchment. "What is that?"

Hermione shrugged before carefully taking the paper out of the locket. She undid the folds and saw there to be a note written on the paper. "'To the Dark Lord, I know that I will be dead long before you read this. I have taken the real horcrux in means to destroy it. I pray that when you meet your maker, you shall be mortal once more. R.A.B.'" she read. "R.A.B.? Who's R.A.B.?"

Harry shook his head as he took the locket back. "I don't know." He looked back at Ron was was simply standing around looking incredibly uncomfortable with being there. Not that Anya could really blame him: she herself was feeling a little creeped out standing there.

Hermione looked back and had the tiniest of smiles on her face. "I think he's finally alright with you and Ginny dating," she whispered to the dark haired wizard. "But while he's around, I think it would be best to keep the snogging to a minimum," she added.

Harry let out a chuckle at that but his face quickly became serious again. "I actually ended things with Ginny this morning after the funeral," he announced.

"What?! Why? You guys are so great together!" Anya insisted. "Why would you guys break up?"

"I didn't think it would be fair to have her waiting for someone who might never come back," Harry replied.

Anya was confused. "Come again?" she asked.

Harry looked out at the waters that surronded the school. "Look... I don't know how long I'll be gone and I don't know where exactly it will lead me, but I promise I'll do my best to let you all know how I'm doing-" he began, but Anya cut him off again.

"I repeat- come again?" she said.

Hermione was the one who caught on easily. "Harry's planning on going after the horcruxes," she explained.

Anya's eyes grew wide for a second with surprise before she rolled them at his stupidity. "And he's going after them alone," she scoffed before turning back to her friend. "Harry... as much as I think that your actions are noble and all that shit, I've got to say you have to be without a doubt the most pig-headed, thick-skull-like person that has ever walked the planet! Do you really expect us to let you go and search for these things on your own?" she questioned him.

"I'm not willing to put your lives in danger," Harry answered.

Again, Anya rolled her eyes. "Seriously? After all these years, do you still not know us at all?" she shot back.

Harry went to reply, but it was Hermione's turn to cut him off. "You need us Harry," she told him.

Harry looked back and forth between the two witches before turning back to his best friend to ask him for backup, but the redhead gave him a look that showed he wasn't going to win this argument. "So how do you propose we do this then?" he questioned.

"Simple," Anya quickly replied. "We've all already been invited to Bill and Fleur's wedding during the summer. It's only two days after your seventeenth birthday Harry, so you'll be able to do magic outside of school without the Ministry finding out. So we'll wait until after the wedding before we leave. That way, everyone will be able to apparate on their own and we'll be able to go wherever we need to without having the law breathing down our necks," she explained it perfectly. With that plan, there would be no chance for Harry to figure out some one-man hunt plan of his own.

Harry looked at his friends and sighed. "I'm not getting any say in this, aren't I?"

"No," the other three all replied together.

"Let's face it, Harry James Potter," Anya teased, "you can try as hard as you want, but you can't get rid of us that easily. Just accept it and things will go a lot smoother when you do."

* * *

><p><em><strong>MMM: And done! Short, but then again, there really wasn't much to I could really do with it. Heck, even J.K. Rowling wrote more about Harry and Ginny during the funeral than about the funeral itself.<strong>_

_**Well, see you next time! Read and Review!**_

_**Nancy (aka megamatchmaker)**_


	76. Year 7 Ch1

_**MMM: Hey you guys! So, I've been getting a few reviews from you guys saying that you find Anya to be a bit of a Mary-Sue kind of character, and I'd like to get the record straight: she is NOT! I never planned on making her one. It's just that there were certain points of the story where she had to SEEM like one because it worked with my plot line. So, I'm sorry if you think Anya is another Mary-Sue character.**_

_**AC: Damn straight, I'm not! Why the hell would you people even CONSIDER the idea?! That's so nuts!**_

_**MMM: Anya, calm down!**_

_**AC: No! I won't calm down! Being called a 'Mary-Sue' is a total insult! It's like saying that... that... that YOU'RE an AVERAGE reader/writer! Hello- you always have your KOBO in hand or your fanfic notebooks!**_

_**MMM: Right... Harry, Ron- can you guys help out here?**_

_**HP & RW: Sure thing. *Grabs Anya's arms and start pulling***_

_**AC: What? No, you guys! Not this again! *struggles as is dragged away***_

_**MMM: Whew! That was crazy. Anyway, now that that's out of the way, I'd like to welcome you to the first chapter of the last year. Yeah, it's here. :( It was bound to come around eventually.**_

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><p><strong>Ch. 76 You'll Be in My Heart<strong>

In New York City, people were anxiously getting ready for when the sun would set. Today was the Fourth of July and as was normal in the Big Apple, the celebrations would be big and extravagant: picnics in Central Park, parties in clubs all through town, and a big fireworks display over on the small island where the Statue of Liberty stood proud and tall.

But within all the festive celebrating and happiness, there was one who wasn't as joyful as her many neighbors.

Anya Collins sat on the edge of her bed with a sadness in her violet eyes. Today was her big seventeenth birthday but unlike most of the typical teenage girls her age, she wasn't as thrilled as she always thought she would have been. She let out a sigh and looked at the small bag that rested on the bed beside her. Well, the actual size of the bag was small, but inside of it was every piece of clothing she'd need along with several books, potions, and anything else she would need for the long journey ahead of her.

The thing was Anya _wasn't_ a typical teenage girl- she was a witch. The spell casting, potion brewing, broomstick flying was all real and all very much a part of who Anya was. And today was the day that she officially was no longer considered as a child in the wizarding world.

But the thing was that the wizarding world was even more frightening now than it was originally when she thought of being an 'adult'. For the darkest wizard to ever be known, Voldemort, had returned from the dead three years ago and was now destroying everything that involved with the muggle world, the world of non-magical people and those few witches and wizards that were born into that world... like Anya was.

Anya sighed again as she thought about what she was about to do: she and her closest friends, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, and Harry Potter were going to search for the one thing that could destroy the evil wizard, his horcruxes: magical items made with very dark magic that contained pieces of Voldemort's soul. The only thing was that none of them knew exactly where to start looking for these horcruxes.

"Anya, sweetie! You better hurry up or we'll have to go for the picnic without you!" Nicole Collins, Anya's mother, called from downstairs.

Anya's eyes clenched shut to keep her tears at bay. She knew that she had to do this, for the safety of her family, but it didn't change the fact that it hurt so much. "I'll be down in a sec, Mom!" she called back, doing her best to keep the sadness from her voice.

"Come on pumpkin!" her father called up, making his daughter nearly cry at the endearing nickname he gave her. "You don't want to miss your seventeenth birthday picnic! This is a big day for you!" He sounded so proud of his little girl.

Anya quickly rushed into the bathroom and leaned over the toilet as the nausea hit her. The pain of what she was about to do was causing her stomach to tie in knots, but nothing would come up. Looking in the mirror, she saw violet eyes rimmed with red and filled with more tears. Running the cold water, she splashed a little onto her face and rubbed. When she finally thought herself to be presentable, she grabbed the tiny bag off the bed and headed downstairs. "Here I am!" she greeted her parents.

"Wonderful! Oh, could you grab the mustard out of the fridge, sweetpea?" Nicole asked as she continued working on the sandwiches for the picnic, her husband working on the potato salad beside her.

"Sure thing," Anya replied. But she didn't move to get the item in question.

With their backs turned to their only child, neither adult noticed Anya pull out the familiar sliver of white ash wood from her pocket and point it at their backs. A single tear managed to slip out of the corner of her eye as Anya whispered "_Obliviate_." The tip of the wand glowed pale pink and the spell was cast. Whilst her parents were still in the trance of the magic as it changed their memories, Anya headed into the living room. Casting the silent charm, the many pictures that lined the mantle of the fireplace began to change so that all the ones of her- from the day her parents brought baby Anya home from the hospital to first day of pre-school to graduation from grade school- all changed to ones of only Nicole and Richard Collins. Actually, of Mr. and Mrs. Gladstone.

Anya felt the pain hit her square in the heart again as she thought of what she was doing. In order to keep her family safe from Voldemort's loyal followers should they try to use her parents to find her, Anya was changing their memories to those of a married couple with no children who were planning to move to Canada.

With another flick of her wrist, most of the items in the house began to box themselves until most of the house was bare. The room that had once been hers would now be completely empty except for a single bed and simple bedside table- a typical spare room for guests. There truly was now no trace of a teenage girl ever having lived in this house.

Not wanting to have to try and explain herself to the 'strangers' of why she was in their house, Anya quickly slipped out the front door and locked it behind her. Standing at the bottom of the steps to the house was her neighbor and fellow witch, Violet Smith. "Did it work?" she asked the auburn haired teen.

"Yeah," Anya nodded as she walked down the steps. "They shouldn't remember anything. Don't forget, they're William and Gloria Gladstone now." She looked back at the closed door. "They'll be leaving for Canada in a few weeks. And Emily and Irene are already gone to college in Florida so they should be safe too." Turning back to her friend, she saw the Irish beauty staring at her with tears in her eyes. "Please don't look at me like that. It's already hard enough as it is not being able to say goodbye to them."

Vi wiped at her green eyes hastily. "I'm sorry. I just.. I'm really scared for you. This is really big. I don't even know if you're coming back..." The floods opened as the tears came rushing out. "You're my friend and I want to help, but I can't do anything and that just royally pisses me off!" she cried in frustration.

Anya gave a sad smile as she wrapped her friend in a hug. "But you are helping," she told her. "You're taking care of Starshine for me while I'm gone and you told me that your mom's agreed to look out for my Auntie Joy and her family. Besides, it's best if you stay at Hogwarts. Four kids backpacking through Europe is going to get enough attention as it is; five would definitely cause problems." She pulled back to look at her friend properly. "It'll be fine... I promise."

Vi gave a watery smile and sniffled. "I have to tell you something," she said.

"This isn't gonna be where you tell me you're actually a lesbian and you've had the hots for me since we were thirteen, is it?" Anya attempted to joke.

Thankfully, it eased some of the tension. "God, no! That is just too creepy," Vi laughed. She turned serious again as she pulled something out of her jean pocket: a silver band with glittering white and pink stones. And she put it on her _left hand_.

It was obvious what this meant. "Oh... my... God! Ivan proposed?!" she squealed with excitement. Even in such dark times, it was impossible not to be happy for her friend at such an announcement.

Vi blushed and nodded. "We both agreed that we'd wait until I finish with school, but yeah... we're getting married." She smiled so brightly that it chased all the sadness away from her face.

"What did your parents say?" Anya asked.

Vi laughed. "Well... Mom is happy for me 'cause she thinks Ivan is just perfect for me. Dad on the other hand... well, let's just say that he's still a little against the idea since he thinks we're both way too young."

Anya looked confused. "Didn't you tell me that your dad had wanted to marry your mom the same week that he met her?" she asked.

Vi shrugged. "Guess he's just a little prejudice." She nodded over her shoulder to where her house was. "You want to come and celebrate the Fourth of July with us? We're planning to go see the fireworks in a bit."

Anya shook her head. "I actually just want to go for a walk before I leave. You know- reminisce and all that." Giving her friend one last hug, she whispered, "Stay safe."

"You too," Vi whispered back before pulling away.

,:~:,

By the time Anya reached the small playground she had played at as a child, the sun was already close to setting. She figured that if anything else, she'd at least stay for the fireworks before apparating to the Weasley house in London. Maybe she'd even retry jumping off the swing again like she'd done when she was little.

But as she got closer to the swings, she noticed that she wasn't as alone as she thought. She distinctly heard sniffling coming from behind the trees beside the swing set. Caution triggered her to arm herself with her wand in case it was some Death Eater trick and she carefully stepped around the trunk to see a familiar head of long golden blonde hair. "Lucy?" Anya said in surprise as she put away her wand before the other girl saw.

Sure enough, the figure sitting at the base of the tree was none other than her oldest rival, Lucy Heller, the most popular girl in Central Park East High. This girl was the only child of one of the most wealthy men in New York City and she had guys lining up around the block for a chance to date her. So it was surprising to see the muggle teen sitting in the middle of some little playground, alone and in tears.

Lucy looked up and when she saw Anya standing there, she huffed and crossed her arms over her knees as she looked away. "Get lost, Collins! I don't need this right now!" she barked at the other girl.

Normally, Anya would love nothing better than to snap back at the little heiress brat, but for some reason, she just couldn't understand what she was seeing. "Is everything... alright?" she found herself asking.

Lucy scoffed she continued to look away. "And what do you care?" she hissed.

Anya couldn't think of any other reason but to tell the truth. "Honestly, I don't _really_ care. I mean, let's face it- you never really gave me a reason to actually give two shits about what you have to say. But I figured you of all people would be out at some party somewhere having the time of your life. It is the Fourth of July, after all. Shouldn't you be hanging out with your friends or some hot date? Or even your dad?" she asked.

Lucy scoffed again. "You mean the bitches that talk behind my back all the time about me and try to get me expelled from school by dumping drugs in my locker? Or my ex-boyfriend who dumped me just because I wouldn't sleep with him, just like all the other guys I've dated? And I bet Dad would just _love_ to go on a picnic with me or watch the fireworks! I mean, what's a business meeting with his accountant for some new stock option to spending more than five seconds with your own flesh and blood?" she spat out. She looked back up at the auburn haired girl to see a look of shock on her face. "Yeah- my life's _not _as picture perfect as you thought it was. Sorry to burst your precious little bubble!" The blonde then picked herself up off the ground and marched over to the swings to be further away from the other girl.

Anya stood there in shock. She never believed that Lucy's life was 'perfect' but she didn't think that the rich girl's life was as complicated as hers was. Boyfriends who dumped her because she refused to have sex, girls who planted drugs on her, and a heartless father? This was a big surprise to see.

Before she could realize what she was doing, Anya found herself sitting in the seat beside Lucy's. She looked out at the setting sun and sighed. "I've nearly been killed by an animal that got loose in our school and ws repeatedly betrayed by my ex. Not to mention, I've fought with my friends so many times, I lost track at some point and watched some people I knew die," she said.

Lucy turned back to look at Anya. "Seriously?" she asked, earning a nod from Anya. "Wow... that sounds really shitty."

"Tell me about it," Anya sighed as she began to swing back and forth. "Don't get me wrong, there have been a lot of good times... but I've have my fair share of crappy memories too."

Lucy looked as surprised as Anya felt. Why was she telling this girl all this? There had never been a single time where the two of them didn't fight like cats and dogs, and here she was telling Lucy certain things that she'd never even told the Holt twins, her oldest and only friends from her young childhood. Hell, Lucy was the reason Anya hadn't had many friends back then!

Lucy looked down at Anya's hand and saw the protego ring there. "That's really nice," she commented. "It matches your eyes really well. Is that your birthstone?" she asked.

Anya shook her head. "No... I'm a July kid. It's actually my birthday today," she said.

Lucy looked surprised. "Oh... well, Happy Birthday," she said.

"Thanks," Anya replied. The word sounded weird on her tongue seeing as who she was saying it to.

"So why are you celebrating with your parents?" Lucy asked.

The mention of her parents had the heartache return ten-fold. "It's complicated," she said as she forced the tears away.

"Is it as complicated as trying to help plan for a wedding of a marriage that only lasts six months... _seven_ times?" Lucy questioned.

"Very," Anya replied with a laugh. Looking at the blonde who was giving her an unconvinced look, Anya added, "Look, I know you probably don't believe me and all, but trust me when I say that it's a lot more complicated than your life."

"Yeah right," Lucy scoffed as she turned so her back was facing Anya.

Anya frowned. "What the hell is that suppose to mean?" she demanded.

Lucy turned back and gave Anya a look. "You seriously expect me to think that _you _have problems in your perfect life? As if! What you told me before was probably a joke."

Anya's brow shot up to her hairline. "Excuse me?! You think my life is 'perfect'? It's not even close!"

"Sure it is!" Lucy shot back. "I mean, honestly! You have friends that actually like you for who _you_ are, not for your parents' money. You have parents who actually _care_ about you and don't leave you five days of the week with some foreign nanny who doesn't speak any English. _And _you get to go to a completely different _country_ for school! You've got it all!"

Anya was confused beyond belief. "I distinctly remember you making fun of me for going to Europe for school. Remember? You kept asking if the 'boarding school' I go to finally kicked me out for 'being such a freak'?" she reminded the blonde. "And besides, what does it matter if I go there? With your money, you probably go there every summer and ski resorts every winter. Big, lavish hotels and spas and all that stuff," she guessed. "Your life is way cooler than mine."

Lucy looked down at her feet. "To be honest... I've never been anywhere other than New York City. Dad says it's pointless and a waste of time as well as money." She looked back up at Anya. "You know he won't even let me go to on our senior trip because it's in the next _town_?"

"Wow..." Anya whistled. "That's intense."

,:~:,

The two teens continued talking for was seemed like hours and Anya was surprised at just how much she didn't really know about Lucy. She never would have guessed that Lucy liked murder mystery books or that she often would spend weekends volunteering in the children's ward at the hospital. Anya always figured that Lucy would want to become some rich and famous model on the cover of every magazine in America, not the number one photographer for _National Geographic_. With each new fact she learnt about the heiress, Anya realized that Lucy wasn't as bad as she once thought she was.

"Hey, check it out!" Lucy exclaimed as she pointed to the sky. Anya looked as she saw the flashes of lights flying up in the air before bursting a shower of glittering colors. "I never get tired of watching these," Lucy sighed. "It must have been pretty cool growing up, seeing fireworks on your birthday every year? Almost like New York and all of the USA is celebrating your birthday with you?" she said.

"Hmm... I never really thought about that," Anya admitted with a smile.

Lucy laughed as they continued to watch the show. "So this whole issue you're having with your parents... do you think you'll be able to work it out?"

Anya shrugged. "I'm not really sure. You see, I'm actually having to go away for a while... maybe a _long_ while. And I'm really not sure if I'm gonna come back."

"Sounds like you're gonna star in some 'Mission Impossible' movie or something," Lucy joked.

"It's a little bit like that," Anya replied.

"Let me guess- you're going to save the world from some nut ball who has these magical powers of pure evil." Anya felt her jaw drop at that. How did Lucy guess that?! The blonde just shrugged. "I saw the owl flying into your room."

"And what makes you think that has anything to do with 'magic'?" Anya asked, trying her best to keep cool and not completely freak out.

Lucy gave a sad smile. "Why do you think my parents got divorced when I was little? My dad found out my mom was a witch and he completely freaked out. But you know, I guess that's why he rarely spent time with me- because he thought I was like her."

Anya was surprised by also intrigued. "And are you?"

Lucy nodded. "I was suppose to be. But when I got my letter to Hogwarts, Dad refused to let me go. He said he wasn't going to let his daughter become some freak of nature like her mother was."

"I'm so sorry," Anya said honestly.

Lucy just shrugged. "I'm cool with it." They sat in silence for the last of the fireworks and clapped at how the image of the US flag glowed in the sky. "So, I'm guessing you're leaving now, huh?"

"Yeah," Anya replied as she stood up from the swing set. "You know... if we hadn't have been at each others throats the way we were all those years, we could have actually been friends."

"Yeah," Lucy smiled. Then she seemed to think for a moment before she grabbed her wallet from her pocket and pulled out an international credit card. "Here." She held out the card to Anya. "I don't know if you'll really need this, but in case you do..."

"I can't take that!" Anya exclaimed. "If your dad finds out, he'll be really pissed!"

Lucy shrugged before forcing the card into the other girl's hand. "I don't care. You just let me deal with him. It's about time I show him the real me." And with that, she walked off.

Anya stood there in shock looking after the girl before looking down at the card in her hand. Figuring that it would be pointless to try to give it back, she placed it in her pocket. And with one final look out over her beloved hometown, Anya apparated.

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><p><strong><em>AC: Wow... I never knew that Lucy could be so nice.<em>**

**_LH: Well, I hid it for a very long time and VERY well._**

**_AC: No kidding!_**

**_MMM: Everyone has a reason for acting the way they do: the way they're raised, what happened to them in the past... It's how they react and how it all affects them that makes a person who they are._**

**_AC & LH: *nods* Makes sense._**

**_MMM: Anyway, that's it for this chapter. Now, the biggest adventure is about to start. Wanna read more? Then you guys know what to do: READ AND REVIEW! It doesn't matter if you're not a member of - I don't mind! Just give me your honest review on the story even if I won't like it, though I'd prefer the ones that are nicer._**

**_Nancy (aka megamatchmaker)_**


	77. Year 7 Ch2

_**MMM: Well, I've got another chapter for you guys! And this one is special- I'm dedicating it to Megan The Legit in honor of her birthday this week. Megan, this is for you.**_

_**AC: Happy Birthday Megan!**_

_**MMM: So let's get started people!**_

* * *

><p><strong>Ch. 77 Escape from Number Four Privet Drive<strong>

Several pairs of feet could be heard as they landed on the concrete street of Privet Drive, along with the sound of hooves and even a motorcycle engine. Anya dismounted her broom with the others and made her way up the drive-in.

Tonight's mission was probably the most dangerous thing Anya could ever remember doing in her life, and she had done some pretty dangerous things. The Order of the Phoenix believed that Voldemort wouldn't just sit idly by and wait for Harry to come after him, so they planned to move him somewhere with more protection than some little muggle house in a little muggle town... especially while Harry was still considered under-age in the wizarding world and would therefore still have the Trace on him.

The Trace was a very distinct kind of magic that every witch and wizard has placed on them from the time they are elligable to begin their magical studies until the day of their seventeeth birthday. It was the Ministry's way of keeping and eye on the young ones so that if they performed any under-age magic at any time, they'd know immediately if it was severe enough to expel the child from school or even worse- take away their magic for good. Anya, Ron, and Hermione were lucky enough to have already turned seventeen so that they could help the Order with the mission.

"You know, I still think Harry will be against the plan when we tell him," Hermione commented as she followed her friends to the front door.

"Yeah, well... He's just gonna have to get over it, 'cause there's no turning back now," Anya answered before reaching up and knocking on the door. When their dark haired friend opened it, she was grabbed in a monstrous hug. "Wow... I didn't think you cared that much, Harry," she joked as she returned the hug.

"I can't believe you're here!" Harry exclaimed before grabbing Ron in a manly hug. "You all look wonderful!" he commented as he hugged the brunette witch.

"So do you," Hermione replied before pulling away.

"Yes, yes... he's absolutely gorgeous. Move along now, would you?" Mad-Eye Moody's voice growled from behind the teens before the disabled wizard pushed his way through the doorway, followed closely behind several other members of the Order: Tonks, Remus, Shacklebolt, Fletcher, Bill Weasley and his fiancée Fleur, Mr. Weasley, and Ron's other brothers, Charlie and the twins Fred and George. The last person to walk in through the door was Hagrid, who took up most of the entire living room.

"What's going on exactly?" Harry asked as he closed the door behind him. "Why all the people?"

"Extra security," Anya replied.

"Exactly Ms. Collins," Moody agreed with her before walking to stand in front of the group. "We cannot apparate out of here 'cause you have the Trace on you still Potter. So we'll have to fly: brooms, threstals, and the like. We'll be split up in pairs, that way if there's anyone waiting for us- and I expect that there will be- when they look for Harry Potter, they won't be able to tell which one is the real one," he announced.

"The 'real one'?" Harry repeated, clearly confused by what he'd just been told.

Moody reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out the flask he kept there- the same flask the fake Moody had used back in fourth year to contain his Polyjuice Potion. "I take it you are familiar with this particular brew," he smirked knowingly before he opened it up, the smell of rotting food hitting the senses as soon as he did.

"No! Absolutely not!" Harry insisted.

"Told you he'd take it well," Hermione said sarcastically.

"I'm not going to let you all risk your lives for me," Harry said as if that was the end of the argument.

"Oh yeah, sure mate- like we haven't done that before," Ron replied with his own sarcasm.

"No! Not like this: taking this, becoming me! It's too risky!" the Boy Who Lived shot back.

When the twins made a joke of possibly being stuck as a 'scrawny git forever', Harry wasn't amused and it seemed to only fuel his opinion. "Look Harry," Anya huffed as she stepped forward, "You can bitch about this as much as you want, but it's not going to change anything. We're doing this."

"Ms. Collins is right again, Potter. Everyone here is of age. They know the risks and they agreed to it," Moody stated.

Someone cleared their throat and the short form of Mundungus Fletcher stepped forward. Anya didn't particularly care for the guy- he was as dishonest as they came, a crook, and he would often dress like some Vegas pimp from back in the 80's. The older wizard commented on how he'd been forced into becoming a duplicate of Harry and then acted like he was greeting her friend at a tea party. Anya rolled her eyes before stomping on the man's foot with her heeled combat boot. Fletcher howled in pain and began hopping around on one foot while grasping the other.

"Nip it, Mundungus!" Moody growled at the wizard. Then he turned to Anya. "Ms. Collins, if you would..." he said.

"Sure thing," Anya grinned. And as she walked past Harry towards the center of the room, she quickly reached up and yanked hard on the back of his scalp, taking a few hairs with her. "Ow! Blimey, Anya! That hurt!" Harry cringed as he rubbed the back of his head. Anya ignored him and did as Moody instructed her and dropped the fresh hairs into the flask of Polyjuice Potion. Then she went and stood with the rest of the group that would be posing as Harry Potters.

"For those first time useres of Polyjuice, fair warning: it tastes like goblin's piss," Moody said as he handed the flask to the first person, Fred.

"Have personal experience with that, have you Moody?" the redhead joked, but the older wizard said nothing while his magical eye swirled around in its socket. "Just trying to diffuse the tension!" Fred chirped before taking a swig and passing it off down the line.

Since Anya was the last in line, she saw the beginning of the transformation: how the skin bubbled as it stretched or shrank, the sudden change of height as they all became taller or shorter. Fleur's long golden hair seemed to act like worms that slither back into their holes as it did a reverse-growth into her roots and turned black. And then Anya took a sip of the Polyjuice and as the taste of over-cooked cabbage assaulted her senses, she felt the burning pain as her body began to change, even down to the roots of her hair. Looking down, she saw the skin on her hands moved around and turn a little paler, the nails growing back into the bed. And then every became blurry as her eyesight changed as well. "Holy shit," she heard herself say but in Harry's voice, "I'm as blind as a damn bat."

"Here you go Anya," Harry said as he handed her something that felt like glasses. Putting them on, she could clearly see seven other Harry's standing in the room. She turned to the one that had given her the glasses and saw he was dressed in Ron's clothes.

"This is really freaky," she said. Anya walked over to the mirror over the fireplace and saw her friend standing in place of her reflection dressed in her clothes: dark skinny jeans and black high heeled combat boots, a low cut, kelly green tank top and black leather jacket. "_Really_ freaky."

,:~:,

Once all the Harry's, including the real one, changed into the many copies of the same outfit- a little embarrassing when the girls had to pull off their bras- Moody gave the orders of the pairs: Harry would go with Hagrid, Fred with Mr. Weasley Sr., George with Remus, Ron with Tonks, Fleur with Bill, Hermione with Shacklebolt, Anya with Charlie, and Fletcher with himself. Then they all carefully and quietly made their way out to the empty street and began to prepare for the flight- and most likely fight- ahead of them. "You alright there, Anya?" Charlie asked her as they mounted the joined broomstick together.

"Yeah, I'm cool," she replied, pushing the glasses back on her nose. "You?"

"Yeah," he answered.

And then they were off. They were hardly up in the air for more than five seconds before dark figures began flying around in the sky around the group, shouts of "Where's the boy?!" and "Which one is he?!" heard over the whistling of the air.

Anya looked back and saw a flash of green light flying directly at them. "Watch out!" she yelled as she pushed down on the handle of her broom, forcing both hers and Charlie's to dive down and out of the way. Reaching into her pocket, she grabbed her wand and pointed it at the Death Eater coming closer to them "_Petrificus Totalus!_" she shouted and the Death Eater began to fall to his death down below as he could no longer move.

"Nice shot!" Charlie yelled to her over the sounds of the battle.

"Thanks! Now come on, let's get back to the house!"

The fight seemed to last forever. As it had been planned, Hagrid had taken Harry away from the battle immediately while the others were going to distract as much as possible and lead the Death Eaters in the wrong direction to the Burrow before they'd all apparate over there. Anya and Charlie were separated from the rest of the Order, but at least they were doing what was needed. As the Death Eater that had been chasing them got closer, the two linked hands and dropped the brooms before they apparated away. They landed just a little ways off the property and walked the rest of the way. The two felt the strange tingle of the protection barrier as they passed through it.

"Everything alright?" Anya heard her own voice say. She looked down at herself to see the Polyjuice had finally worn off and she was back to her normal self. "Thank God!" she sighed with relief. "Where's everyone?" she asked him.

"Probably in the house already," Charlie replied. "Let's go then."

When they stepped into the tiny house, everyone was more or less back. But when Anya saw what the commotion was in the living room, she nearly screamed.

Laying out on the couch, a bloody cloth pressed against his ear, was George. Pushing her way forward, she asked, "What happened?"

"One of the Death Eaters got him bad," Fred replied in a shaky voice. It was hard to see your twin- your other self- in pain. "But he seems to be alright. He thinks he's saint-like." Anya gave him a confused look. Fred carefully pulled the cloth away from George's head to show a large hole remaining where his ear once was. "Says that he's holey."

"I am holey," George's voice croaked as he opened his eyes. "Hey there, Anya. You didn't get hurt, did you?" he asked her.

Anya gave a watery smile as she shook her head. "No... I'm fine," she replied as she smoothed his hair back.

Bill broke the moment of silence with an announcement that only put an even dimmer light on the evening. "Mad-Eye's dead. Fell right off his broom. And Fletcher's gone too- took one look at Mad-Eye as he fell and he apparated out of there."

Everyone had a minute of silence for the late wizard before Mrs. Weasley stepped forward again. "Anya dear, could you help me move George up to his old room? I don't think it's best for him to go anywhere tonight."

"Sure thing, Mrs. Weasley," the American witch replied as she helped the injured wizard up the stairs.

,:~:,

Anya tossed and turned in her bed as she tried to get to sleep. But with everything that had happened in the last twenty-four hours, she was too restless. She tried laying on her side, her back, her stomach, she drank almost an entire litre's worth of warm milk, and even tried counting sheep, but nothing worked. Anya growled under her breath and punched at the pillow under her head a few times before clenching her eyes shut, demanding her body to sleep.

But as the beginning of unconcious bliss finally began to take hold of her, there was a sound outside of the bedroom door that caused Anya to wake back up again. Opening her eyes, she looked through the open doorway to see Harry carefully sneaking past. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Hermione and Ginny were still out. She would have figured that Harry was just going for a drink of water or something and would have just left it at that, but she knew he was up to something when she saw him dressed in actual day clothes and his backpack was slung over his shoulder. So she quickly slipped out of bed and jumped into her sneakers and sweater before following after him and surprisingly, Ron.

"Where do you think you're going?" Anya heard Ron demand from their friend. She decided to hide behind the doorway before they saw her.

"Don't bother trying to follow me," Harry insisted. "I'm doing this on my own."

"Oh, I see... So you plan to just go after the horcruxes alone? You don't know where they are or even what they are! And what about trying to destroy them? Have you figured out a plan for that one?" Ron shot back.

"Too many people have been hurt already because of me," Harry tried to reason with the redhead.

"So what? You're trying to tell me that Moody's sacrifice was for nothing? What about George? I suppose it doesn't matter that he's lost his ear trying to help you?" Ron fired. "Let's face it- you can't do this alone."

"Then come with me," Harry replied.

"You know we wouldn't last two seconds without Anya or Hermione," Ron said. "Don't tell them I said that."

"I know I won't say anything," Anya finally spoke up, causing both boys to literally jump about a foot into the air. She gave a small smirk as she stepped out of the dark and leaned up against the wall. "Greetings, boys. Out for a little fresh air?" she teased.

"What are you doing up so late?" Harry asked.

Anya gave a shrug. "Couldn't sleep- people _trying_ to sneak past your door and failing miserably at it will do that to ya," she said. She gave Harry a look. "Do you seriously think you can shake us off that easily, Harry Potter?"

Harry stood there for a moment before he eventually shook his head. "Guess I can't, huh?" he asked.

"Damn straight!" Anya agreed as she marched up to him, grabbed his backpack off his shoulder and slung it over her own. She wasn't expecting it to be so heavy. "Oof! What the hell do you have in this thing? Bricks?" With a huff, she turned on her heel and brought the bag further into the house and up the stairs where she dumped it at the head of her bed.

"What was that?" a sleepy-eyed Ginny groaned as the thump woke her from her dreams.

"Nothing, Ginny. Go back to sleep, ok?" Anya said. The redhead girl simply nodded before she turned back over and fell alseep again. Anya sighed and then tugged her blanket back over her as sleep finally claimed her for the night.

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><p><em><strong>MMM: Another day, another chapter! Hope you guys were alright with it. Wasn't really much of a stretch from the original work, but it was necessary. Don't forget to review please!<strong>_

_**Nancy (aka megamatchmaker)**_


	78. Year 7 Ch3

_**MMM: Holy shoot! Has it really been almost two months since I last updated?! Whoa! I am really behind! Sorry you guys! Things have been a little crazy latetly- not going into details. Anyway, I hope this will make it up to you guys. :S Now, there's something I just noticed: am I really at 600 reviews for this story? Seriously? That is crazy! I never thought I'd get that many reviews even with the amount of chapters this story is going to be. Who'd have thought?**_

_**Anyway, I'll stop talking now and let you all get to the actual story. Lord knows that it's time.**_

_**AC: Not duh! I was wondering when this story was gonna continue. I can't sleep all the time here!**_

_**MMM: You'll be wishing you could soon. The rest of the story is going to involve a lot of stressful moments that'll keep you up for a LONG time.**_

_**AC: ... Maybe I should get a few ZZZ's in while I can?**_

_**MMM: Good idea.**_

_**And now, ON WITH THE CHAPTER!**_

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><p><strong>Ch. 78 The Wedding Day<strong>

A knock on the door stopped Anya with her preparing for the big wedding. She turned from the mirror to see Ron standing at the door. "We've got a visitor," he told her.

"Who?" Anya asked as she put down her hairbrush. She glanced at her watch. "The wedding is gonna start in a few hours."

"It's not someone for the wedding," Harry said as he came into view. "Wow! You look nice," he complimented her.

Anya grinned. She had only really taken care of her hair and eyes, but when a guy compliments a girl on how she looks, it makes her feel pretty special. "You think I look nice now, wait until I finish getting ready," she joked as she stood up from her bed. "So who exactly is this mystery visitor?" she asked.

"The Minister," Hermione replied as she made her entrance into the crowd. "And he's asking for us specifically."

"The Minister? Why?" It was very bizarre to hear that the most powerful and influential wizard in the world would come to where you are living to speak with you. Defnitely not something anyone would expect.

"He wouldn't say," Ron answered.

Anya shrugged. "Well, we better go see what the guy wants to say 'cause we still have a lot to do before tonight," she said before she walked towards the door. "Shall we then?" As the others turned to head back down the stairs, she reached out and touched Harry on the shoulder. "I got to say Harry, I never pegged you as one for berry pink. I always figured you as more of a natural beige or maybe even a light plum color."

"Excuse me?" the dark haired wizard asked in confusion.

"Lipstick," Anya replied as she used her thumb to wipe at the corner of his mouth. When she pulled it away, she held up her hand to show the smear of color on her finger. "A little birthday gift from Ginny, huh?" she teased, ending with a laugh as she watched Harry frantically rub at his mouth. "You're just lucky it was me that spotted it. Can you imagine what would have happened if Ron had seen that?"

"If Ron had seen what?" the redhead in question asked, catching the last bit of the conversation.

"Nothing!" Harry and Anya quickly replied together.

,:~:,

Rufus Scrimgeour was as surly-looking and unpleasant as Anya thought he would be the second she saw him. The older gentleman was in the sitting room when the four friends arrived and remained seated with a severe look on his face. _'He looks like he's ready to spit or shit his pants,'_ Anya thought as she and the others took a seat across from him. "I have a few questions for all of you, and I think it would be best if I do so individually. If you three," he directed his attention to Anya, Harry, and Hermione, "could kindly leave the room, I'll begin with Ronald."

"It's either all of us or none of us, sir," Anya shot back as she sat on the arm of the long couch. "Otherwise, I'm afraid you'll have to save this conversation for another time. As you can see, we're very busy- there is a wedding happening here within the next several hours and there is still much to be taken care of beforehand," she said smoothly. Her friends looked at her in amazement: how she stayed so cool under pressure was outstanding to them all.

Scrimgeour looked a little taken back but the mask of grumpy old-man quickly fell back into place. "I assume you all know why I am here: for the final will of Albus Dumbledore." This caught them all by surprise. The older wizard opened his briefcase and a folded parchment floated out and began to open itself. Then he began to read off certain paragraphs... ones that addressed what the deceased wizard had left to the Golden Quartet.

"'To Ronald Billius Weasley, I leave my Deluminator, a creation of my own design, in hopes that it leads him in the darkest of times'," Scrimgeour read out loud as he pulled the small metal device out of the briefcase and passed it to Ron.

"For me?" Ron asked in surprise. It was a little shocking seeing as the late headmaster had never paid any special attention towards the youngest Weasley wizard. He clicked the little button on the device and every light that was currently on went black and small flashes flew into the Deluminator. He clicked it again and the balls of light shot back into their respective places.

"'To Ms. Hermione Jean Granger, I leave my copy of _The Tales of Beedle the Bard_, in hope that she will find it entertaining and instructive'," the Minister continued as he pulled out a slightly worn copy of the wizard fairytale book. Ron made a comment about how his mother use to read the stories to him when he was little, but Harry and Hermione looked at him oddly when he mentioned the titles. Anya remembered reading them once when she'd been at Malfoy Manor, but she didn't remember them perfectly.

"'To Ms. Anya Jasmine Collins, I leave my pevenseive, in hope that when all seems to be spinning out of control, she may find clarity within the chaos'," he continued reading from the will. He pulled the small stone bowl out of his briefcase and handed it over to Anya. She turned it around in her hands to examine it and was surprised to have this given to her. Sure, she wasn't expecting to get the memories with it, but this alone was too much.

"'And finally, to Mr. Harry James Potter, I leave to him the snitch he caught in his first Quidditch game, as a reminder of the rewards of perseverance and skill'," Scrimgeour finished. He carefully pulled out a small item wrapped in a cloth and opened it to show the small golden sphere. He then reached out and held it for Harry to take. He seemed to hold his breath as he waited for Harry to accept the gift, and he seemed disappointed when nothing happened as the younger wizard took the snitch in his hand.

"Is that it then?" Harry asked.

Scrimgeour then began to talk about how Dumbledore had also left the sword of Godric Gryffindor to Harry, but he said that he wasn't permitted to give the object in question since it was property of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Hermione talked about how the sword had chosen Harry back in second year when he needed it most, but the Minister of Magic simply brushed off her argument with a shrug. Then he told them that even if Dumbledore did have the right to leave it to someone, it wouldn't have mattered because the sword had disappeared not long after the funeral of the late wizard. And with that, he left.

"Why do you think Dumbledore left us these things?" Anya asked as she continued to examine her new pevenseive. "The sword, I get. But what do a book, a handheld light switch, a memory case, and a piece of Quidditch equipment have to do with... anything?"

"Don't know," Hermione replied.

,:~:,

The wedding ceremony was beautiful and very moving. The couple looked so in love and happy that nothing could possibly ruin their special day. Anya spent her time throughout the night getting to know certain members of the Weasley and the Fleur families. Occasionally, she'd spend time with Harry, who was using Polyjuice potion to pass off as a Weasley - the hair had come from some random ginger haired boy in the nearby town- or help Ron out with his Great Aunt Muriel, a snobby old lady who needed a good smack across the chops. Anya's hand itched to do just that to the woman when she heard Muriel insult her and Hermione about being muggleborn.

"Like she's any better," Anya growled under her breath as Muriel shuffled her way up the stairs as they went down. "That old hag has bad breath and a bad case of rat's nest for hair," she said.

"Don't pay her any attention," Hermione insisted as she adjusted her lilac dress. "How do I look?"

"Like a star!" Anya cheered in an old 1920s New York accent. Looking down at the doorway, it showed that she wasn't the only one who thought so. "Major Cuteness at three o'clock," she said as she discreetly nodded her head in that direction.

The brunette's eyes lit up when she saw her first boyfriend standing there. "Viktor!" she exclaimed as she hurried down the steps and ended up dropping her beaded bag. She then began to babble at random and blushed brightly. Anya just smiled as she followed her friend down the steps but far more gracefully.

"Wow Anya, you look amazing," Harry said as she finally made it down.

Anya gave him a smile and twirled around in her strapless pale blue summer dress. The sweetheart neckline gave just the smallest amout of cleavage and the hem of the skirt reached just past her knees with a slightly darker blue embroidery along the end, her feet wrapped in simple one inch white pumps. Her long auburn hair was perfectly straight and hung down her back like a waterfall of reds and browns and her make-up was done so simply, it looked like there was nothing there. And as usual, she had on her lightning bolt necklace and protego ring, along with a simple pair of fake rhinestone stud earrings.

"Why thank you Ha- Oops! I mean, _Barny_." She couldn't help but giggle as she said his fake name. Every time she so much as thought it, an image of the talking purple dinosaur from her childhood flashed in her mind's eye and she'd find herself forcing to not laugh out loud or double over. "God, that is just the weirdest name in history. Why on earth did you choose that one?" she asked her friend.

'Barny' just shrugged. "Wasn't my choice," he replied.

The night continued on with a few more surprises, like hearing the stories that Great Aunt Muriel kept gossiping about Albus Dumbledore and his family. One of the stories was that the late wizard had once had a younger sister- news to Anya- who he had supposedly 'did away with' because she was a squib. Doge Elphias, another member of the Order of the Phoenix, was quick to defend Dumbledore, but the bitch of a hundrend and seven year-old witch kept shooting it down, going on and on about how Rita Skeeter's new biography book would have the 'truth' but Anya didn't believe that for a second.

The other thing that confused the two friends was something that Harry had figured out while talking with Viktor Krum. The night when they all escaped from Privet Drive, Harry mentioned something about having a dream/vision of Voldemort's memories. Apparently, the dark wizard was searching for Gregorovitch, the first dark wizard that Dumbledore had defeated that was also once a wandmaker. Because he knew that he couldn't destroy Harry with the same wand he'd always had since both phoenix cores came from the same creature, Voldemort had used another's wand the night he attacked as they al flew through the skies but it hadn't worked. So now, he was looking for Gregorovitch to find something else.

Suddenly, just as Bill and Fleur were about to cut into the monstrosity of a wedding cake, a sudden ball of pale blue mist shot down from the night sky above into the very center of the partying crowd. Everyone became deadly quiet as the patronus charm took the shape of a lynx. Then the patronus opened its mouth and the voice of Kinglsey Shacklebolt came out. "_The Ministry has fallen. Smigeour is dead. They are coming._"

And the second that the patronus vanished, chaos sprang forth. Screams of terror rang through the night air as the canopy began to go up in flames. People were running and screaming, pushing their way through the crowd to get away from the attacking Death Eaters. Anya felt someone grab her by the elbow and when she turned around to see Harry, who had returned to his true appearance, she relaxed for only a moment before the fear struck her again. She snagged her purse off of the table and followed her friend to where Ron and Hermione were standing. They all huddled together and like all the other party guests, they apparated away.

,:~:,

Anya and the others barely got out of the street as a double-decker bus came driving by. "Holy shit! That was a close one!" Anya exhaled as she and the boys followed Hermione down the streets that she so clearly knew her way around. They all hurried down a deserted alleyway and the girls wasted no time in pulling everyday clothes from their little bags.

"Bloody hell!" Ron whistled as Hermione pulled out a pair of jeans. "How did-"

"Undetectable Extension Charm," the girls replied together. "It's a little tricky, but you get it down pat after a couple tries," Anya added. She yanked out a pair of yoga pants, a dark green turtleneck, and black sneakers for herself. "Don't worry Harry, I've got all your stuff in here," she said as she shook the tiny bag. A very loud rattling could be heard as she did that. She then pulled out Harry's Invisibility cloak. "Here." She handed it over to the dark haired wizard.

Once Ron, Hermione, and Anya all changed and Harry was hidden from sight under the cloak, the four friends walked along the muggle street of Tottenham Court Road. Eventually, they stopped at a tiny diner and figured it was the best place to hide for the time, so they went in. The gum-popping waitress barely said anything as she took their order of three cappuccinos or when she brought them out. As she left, two burly-looking men entered and took a seat in the farthest corner of the diner.

"So where do you think we should go?" Ron asked in a hushed tone.

"Don't know. The Burrow is most likely going to be under severe watch by the Death Eaters now," Hermione replied. "And most of the other places are probably going to be the same."

"So what do you think is the best place to go?" Harry's body-less voice whispered from beside Anya who remained silent. "Anya?"

"Keep calm and don't raise any suspicion," the American witch finally spoke up quietly to her friends. "But those two guys haven't stopped staring this way since the moment they stepped into the place," she announced, carefully eyeing the guys in the corner booth.

Hermione discreetly looked over her shoulder just as the two men looked down at their menus. "They probably just surprised to see three kids out so late at night," she tried to reason.

Anya gave the brunette an odd look. "Did you get a good look at what they're wearing?" she asked the others.

"It looks like they're wearing you're every day uniform," Harry replied.

Anya shook her head. "Take a good look at the uniforms though- those are road maintenance clothes. I don't remember seeing _any_ signs of street construction anywhere _near_ here, do you? We passed by at least seven different diners just like this one and judging by this crappy drink, they were probably a lot better. So why come all this way here for food that tastes like shit? And if they were construction workers, wouldn't they have bags with their tools or even some personal items with them? And besides, who does work that requires proper lighting this late at night?" She looked back at the older gentlemen just in time to see one of them pull a slender piece of wood from their pocket- a wand. "Move!"

The four friends dived out of the way as a stunning jinx was sent their way. Anya grabbed a table and flipped it onto its side to use it as a shield with Hermione beside her. She grabbed her wand from her pocket and used the reflective surface of the glass windows to see the two Death Eaters cornering Ron and Harry at the other end of the room. With their backs turned to the girls, they didn't even pay any attention until it was too late. Hermione cast a full-body locking spell at one of the Death Eaters while Anya took the other one out with "_Expelliarmus!_", sending him crashing forward and effectively knocking himself out when his head hit the wall. When they saw that there was no immediate danger, the Golden Quartet came out from behind their barriers.

"Lock the doors and dim the lights," Harry instructed the others as he stood watch over the two dark wizards. Hermione quickly rushed over to the doors and locked them shut whilst Anya went to close all the curtains and Ron took care of the lights with his Deluminator. As he finished with that, Ron rushed forward to one of the Death Eaters and pointed his wand menacingly at the older wizard. "Ron, don't!"

"Why not?" the redhead shot back. "How do you know if he wasn't the one that killed Moody?"

Anya saw Ron's point, but that didn't mean that she agreed with him. "Ron, think about it: two wrongs don't make a right. If you kill either of them, what makes you any better than a Death Eater or You-Know-Who?" she argued. When the young wizard said nothing and instead backed away, Anya could breathe again. "I rest my case."

"So what do you propose we do with them?" Harry asked as he stared at the two Death Eaters.

"I say we wipe their memories of tonight," Anya suggested. "Then we'll apparate them somewhere else so they don't wake up in a trashed restaurant."

And the four friends did just that. After wiping the past few minutes from the minds of the two unknown Death Eaters, Anya grabbed onto the collar of one while Ron took the other and they all apparated to a very dark and deserted alley a few blocks over. Dumping the bodies on the ground, Anya grabbed a few empty bottles of beers and other liquors from the over-flowing garbage bin nearby and scattered them around on the ground. "In case someone happens to see them," she explained to the others. "People never bother checking on some passed out idiot on the street if they see bottles of booze around the place." Once she figured that there was enough garbage around them, she stood back up and wiped her hands. "That should do it."

"Well, where should we go now?" Ron asked again.

"We'll go to Grimmauld Place," Harry announced. "With any luck, it will still be there."

And with that, they apparated away to the old headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix.

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><p><em><strong>MMM: And so we're back in action!<strong>_

_**AC: Why exactly did Dumbledore leave me his pevenseive? You said that in the original book, he doesn't leave that to anyone.**_

_**MMM: Well for my story, he did and he left it for you. Seems silly, I know, but it's my story and I get to do with it as I choose.**_

_**Anyway, that's it for now! Don't forget to review!**_

_**Nancy (aka megamatchmaker)**_


	79. Year 7 Ch4

_**MMM: I can't BEGIN to apologize enough about my lack of updating! I am so, so, SO sorry! I've been really busy trying to find a job, not to mention work around the house, and NOW, the internet isn't working properly in our house! Some times, we have a good day but others, we somehow lose the connection and so we have to call the provider to find out what the problem is (which can take from 20 minutes to 2 hours!) And I am really getting frustrated with it. Again, I'm sorry everyone!**_

_**Let's just get to the story now.**_

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><p><strong>Ch. 79 Black House<strong>

It felt strange to be back in Number 12 Grimmauld Place when it was so unnaturally quiet and empty. The only movement was the ghost-like image of Albus Dumbledore that had been created as a sort of protective scare in case someone came by. Other than that, the four friends were completely alone. Once they figured that it was safe enough to take refuge in the small house, the Golden Quartet gathered as many pillows and blankets as they could find and spent the night in the living room.

Anya did try to get some sleep, really she did, but with everything that had happened within the last twenty-four hours, she couldn't. When the sun finally began to rise again, she just shrugged off the covers and stood up from the chair she'd spent the night in. She was only a little surprised to see Harry was already awake. "Couldn't sleep either, huh?" she asked him, causing the wizard to look away from the window he was standing by.

"I figured one of us should stand guard... just in case," he replied.

Anya looked doubtful. "For eight hours?" she questioned. Her reply came in the form of a shrug. Letting out a sigh, she looked back at their other friends who were still asleep. Anya couldn't stop herself from grinning slightly when she saw how their feelings betrayed them in their unconcious state: Hermione's hand was hanging off of the couch where she was resting only inches away from Ron's, who was spread out on the floor in front of her protectively. "They would make such a great couple, don't you think?" she asked Harry.

"Yeah," the dark haired wizard found himself smiling. He hoped that if everything worked out in the end of all this, his friends would get to be happy again with the ones they loved, even if he didn't. Especially Anya, who had already been through enough heartache to last a lifetime. "I'm going to look around a bit."

"I'll check down here," Anya replied.

Harry nodded and went to head upstairs, but then something caused him to stop. Looking back at Anya, he said, "Oh, and Anya?" When the American witch looked back at him, he couldn't help but grin. "Don't try cooking anything," he teased. He remembered the last time Anya had tried to make lunch at the Burrow: she had nearly burnt down the entire kitchen in her attempt to make chicken.

Anya rolled her violet eyes and grabbed the pillow she'd been using and tossed it at him. "Get going!" she laughed lightly. With that, he left. Anya shook her head before she continued looking around. Most of the place looked like it had been ramsacked with so much of the stuff just laying around in a mess.

Eventually, she found herself in the Family Tree room.

Anya looked at all the different faces that lined the walls. The young witch had to clench her eyes shut as she glimpsed by the portrait of Bellatrix Lestrange. She tried not to think about it, but the family connections crept into her mind and before she could stop herself, she was thinking about Draco Malfoy again. No matter how hard she tried to forget about the blonde, he just kept coming back to the surface. Shaking her head frantically, Anya wiped the thought from her current mind. When she opened her eyes once again, she was facing the burnt remains of what had once been Sirius' name on the family tree. Carefully, she traced the scorched edges of the mark with a sadness. "We really miss you, Sirius," she whispered to herself.

"Anya? Are you alright?" Ron's sleepy voice asked from the doorway, Looking over her shoulder, she saw her two other friends had finally woken up and had gone looking for her and Harry.

"I'm fine," she replied casually as she pulled away from the wall completely.

"You guys!" Harry's voice shouted from upstairs, followed by the sound of feet running. The three friends raced out of the room over to the staircase and saw Harry up at the top, his green eyes wide with discovery. "I found him! I found R.A.B.!" he exclaimed.

,:~:,

It turned out that 'R.A.B' standed for Regulus Arcturus Black, the younger brother to Sirius. Anya remembered seeing his name in the Family Tree room and had been shocked when she saw that he had only been sixteen when he had died. At least now it made some sense: he had been killed for his betrayal to the Dark Lord.

"But how can we be sure that it was Sirius' brother who took the locket?" Hermione questioned again as they came back downstairs.

"How many people do you think there are in the wizarding world who had the initials R.A.B. and would have been a Death Eater at the time?" Anya asked. She then let out an 'Oof!' as she collided with Ron's back. "A little warning before you put on the brakes like that, please? Maybe some lights would be nice?" she said.

"I just heard something," the redhead announced.

"I was probably my stomach growling. I'm starved," Anya grumbled.

"No, I hear it too," Harry said. "Listen." Sure enough, all four of them heard the stange noise that seemed to be coming from the back of the house. "Stay behind me," Harry told them as he led the group into the kitchen, each of them holding their wands out in defense. The noise got louder as they stepped into the room and their eyes scanned the place before landing on the pantry door where it was coming from. Harry carefully stepped closer to it and looked back at the others. They all nodded as they pointed their wands at the door while Harry reached out and grabbed the knob. "On three," he whispered to them. "One... two... three!"

He yanked the door open and a tiny figure came rolling out of the pantry, all the cleaning supplies falling on top of the house-elf. Kreacher grumbled and groaned as he picked himself up. When he saw the four witches and wizards standing there, he scowled. "Blood traitors and filthy Mudbloods again! Kreacher spits on seeing them again!" he growled out as he spat at their feet. "Kreacher's mistress will be very cross when she learns that the House of Black is infected with such vermin!"

"Kreacher, that's enough!" Harry ordered. Although he hated having to force people to do things, it was his right. After all, Sirius had left the family house and all his possessions to Harry, and that included the house-elf as well.

Kreacher scowled again but remained quiet.

"Maybe he knows something about the locket," Hermione suggested.

"Good point," Anya agreed. Pulling the fake Horcrux from her pocket, Anya held it up for the house-elf to see. "Have you seen something like this before?" she asked.

"Filthy scum!" Kreacher shouted at her as he moved closer. Anya felt herself backing away from the creature. She remembered the last time she had pissed him off and it wasn't pretty. This time, he was surrounded by very sharp and deadly tools.

"Kreacher, you will respect my friends!" Harry ordered again. "Now answer her, Kreacher." The house-elf didn't make any move to hurt Anya but he didn't say anything either. Instead, he just continued to glare at the American. "Kreacher..." Harry warned.

"Yes..." he finally replied. He then began to talk about how he had sensed very sinister energy coming from the other locket the first time he had seen it when Voldemort hid it in the cave, nearly killing Kreacher in the process with the vial potion that had surrounded the locket. And he told the Golden Quartet about how Regulus had died replacing the real one with its fake and had ordered Kreacher to destroy it. But no matter how hard the house-elf had tried, it proved to be impossible to do so.

"And someone came and stole the real one, didn't they?" Anya questioned. She turned to look at Harry. "Harry, I looked downstairs: there is hardly a single room that doesn't look like it was turned upside down. Either somebody knew about this place and was going yard sale rummage on it, or they were looking for something," she told him.

Harry nodded and looked back at Kreacher. "Has anyone else came in this house?" he demanded to know.

"He came... in the dead of night. He took many things... he took Kreacher's mistress's best jewels and many other priceless things... and he took the locket," the house-elf replied, his eyes showing the brief flash of relief of being rid of the necklace.

"Who? Who took it?" Ron asked.

Kreacher looked back up at them, his eyes cold once again. "Mundungus Fletcher."

"Why doesn't that surprise me?" Anya groaned. The guy was a crook after all. Why didn't she suspect him in the first place? A house filled with plenty of shiny, pricey items and no one living in it? It was just ripe for the picking! Anya wondered if Fletcher had the decency to wait until there was no one in the place to steal anything or if he hadn't bothered to wait and see if Sirius was even dead before. She was certainly going to tear him a new one if she saw him again. But right now, they needed to find that locket.

"Find him and bring him here," Harry instructed Kreacher. The house-elf bowed before disappearing with a 'crack!'.

,:~:,

It seemed like the minutes passed by like days as the Golden Quartet spent their time waiting for Kreacher to come back. They barely said anything as they ate and when they went back into the living room, they all did something different: Hermione tried to teach Ron how to play the piano, Ron kept fumbling over the ivory keys, Harry sat on the couch and watched the little golden snitch Dumbledore had left him flutter around, and Anya was crouched in front of the fireplace trying to get one going. It would have been a lot easier and faster to simply use a little magic to warm the room, but Anya wanted to keep her hands busy. If she didn't, she'd probably go nuts. So she continued to sit in front of the fireplace, occasionally throwing a few logs in or picking at it with a fire poker.

"They have flesh memories." Anya's ears perked up as Hermione broke the silence. Looking away from the red and orange flames, she saw the brunette take a seat across from Harry. She nodded to the snitch. "I think that's why Scrimgeour was so anxious the day he gave it to you. He must have thought Dumbledore hid something in it. I thought it would have opened at your touch."

Anya sighed before turning back to the fire but not really seeing it. Instead, she saw her parents' faces in the flames. She pulled her legs up to her chest and wrapped her arms around her knees as a bitter cold hit her from the inside. It had only been a few weeks since she'd left her family for their safety, but by what she had witnessed in the past two days alone was that so much could happen so quickly. Had they gotten to Canada ok? And what about Auntie Joy and the others? Were they alright?

A loud crash caused the four friends to jump to their feet. Rushing into the kitchens again, they saw none other than Mundungus Fletcher walking around, trying to shake off not one but _two_ house-elves from his person. Kreacher was hanging from his right arm while a smaller, younger house-elf had its tiny arms wrapped tightly around the wizard's left leg. Looking up at who had just entered the room, Fletcher saw the Golden Quartet standing there and tried to stun them, but Kreacher bit his arm and caused him to drop the sliver of wood. While Fletcher was howling in pain, Anya dove for the wand and snatched it up before standing back beside her friends.

"Harry Potter!" the second house-elf squeaked and the next thing anyone knew, Fletcher fell face first to the floor and out of view behind the dining table. Two boney little hands reached up and grasped the edge of the table, followed closely behind by those familiar green tennis-ball sized eyes. "Anya Collins! Mr. Weasley and Ms. Granger too! Dobby is so happy to see yous again!"

"Hello Dobby," Anya smiled at the adorable creature. "It's great to see you again too." She nodded towards the unconcious Fletcher. "How did you find these two?"

"Dobby was wandering around Diagon Alley, and Dobby saw Kreacher heading into Knockturn Alley which he thought was odd... So Dobby followed Kreacher and found him with the wizard Fletcher, Miss. And so Dobby helped," Dobby explained.

"Kreacher needed no help," the other house-elf sneered. "Kreacher was doing just find on his own: Fletcher has many hidey-holes and accomplices, but Kreacher found the thief in the end."

"Well, you both did a great job," Anya congratulated the two creatures. Dobby smiled brightly while Kreacher simply bowed low with a scowl. He was pleased that he had done his job well but was obviously peeved about being complimented by a muggleborn.

Anya levitated Fletcher into a chair over in the corner and once all four witches and wizards were blocking his ways of escape, she started shaking his shoulder. "Wake up, Fletcher... Wake up!" She kept going for a few more seconds before she became annoyed. Swinging her arm back, she slapped him hard across the face and shouted. "Fletcher! Wake up, you moron!"

The sleezy wizard woke with a start. "Oy! What do you lot think you're doing?" he demanded with a scowl but quickly cowered away when Anya pointed both wands at his throat.

"You're the one that picked the valuables from this house, aren't you?" Hermione questioned him.

Fletcher looked mad as hell but with the threat of two wands at his neck, he replied. "I don't gots any of them things I took left! If I had any of 'em, sure- I'd give 'em back... but it would cost ya-" he was cut off when Anya gave him another hard slap across the face. "Bloody hell girl! You should learn to respect your elders, you do!" he said.

"I only respect them when they actually deserve it, you little shit," she hissed at him. "You stole from this house!" she exclaimed.

"It wasn't stealin'! Sirius didn't care nothing about that junk-" Fletcher tried to defend himself but was caught off again, this time by Kreacher. The house-elf pushed through the ring of friends and began to hit the older wizard repeatedly with an iron saucepan. Fletcher screamed for mercy from the attacks and cowered away as Kreacher was about to bring the heavy item down on his head.

"Kreacher, no!" Harry shouted, causing the house-elf to stop mid-swing.

Kreacher looked up expectantly at his master. "Perhaps just one more, Master Harry, for luck?" he pleaded.

"I'd let him," Anya muttered with a vicious smirk sent at Fletcher. Anya let out a tiny laugh at how eager Kreacher was when he was told that he could have at it if Fletcher needed persuading. "Now, shut up and listen!" She gave him another violent shake. "There was a locket- did you see it?"

"Why? Is it valuable?" he asked, the greed of making more money clouding his fear of being beaten to a bloody pulp only two seconds ago.

"He's probably worried that he didn't get enough for it," Ron commented shrewdly.

Fletcher huffed as he slumped back in the seat. "Bleedin' gave it away, didn't I? Not that I had much choice," he mumbled.

"What do you mean?" Harry demanded.

"There I was, minding me own business while sellin' me things in Diagon Alley, where out of the blue, she comes up and demands to see me license for selling magical artifacts. Bloody snoop. Was gonna fine me, she was, but then she sees that locket you're all going on about. Took an awful liking to it, she did. Told me that she'd let me off this time if I let her 'ave it," Fletcher explained.

"Do you know who this woman was?" Harry questioned.

"I don't know- some ol' Ministry hag," Fletcher replied.

"Well, what did she look like?" Anya asked. When Fletcher shook his head, she pressed the wands into his neck. "What did she look like?" she repeated.

"Some little ol' broad," Fletcher croaked out. "Ugly as hell." Anya scowled but pulled away enough to let him breathe properly again. Fletcher looked around in means to probably escape but something on the floor caught his eyes. "There she is! Bloody bow and all!" he cried out.

Looking down at the older copy of the _Daily Prophet_, the Golden Quartet was greeted by the moving picture of the prim and polished and overly-insane Dolores Umbridge. "You've got to be kidding!" Anya groaned.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AC: Great! Just what we need now- Umbridge being back!<strong>_

_**MMM: I know it sucks, but I can't do anything about it. JK Rowling wrote it that way and so I have to.**_

_**AC: No poetic license, huh?**_

_**MMM: Nope.**_

_**AC: *sighs***_

_**MMM: That's it for today. Hopefully, I'll be able to update again soon!**_

_**Nancy (aka megamatchmaker)**_


	80. Year 7 Ch5

_**MMM: Hello again! So I found my USB with all the completed chapters of When Opposites Attract. Hallelujah! I swear, I was about to go out of my mind looking for it! I tore most of the house upside-down trying to find it (turns out, I dumped it in my pen jar.) But now, I have all my chapters back and to celebrate, I'm posting another chapter! **_

_**AC: How the hell did you lose a USB by putting it in a pen jar?!**_

_**MMM: Because normally, I don't put it there. I put it in my travel bag with all my fanfic notebooks, pencil case, and memo pads. It just so happens that the jar was close beside me when I was gathering everything up to tidy the living room (my work space) and since I only had two hands and had to work fast, I dumped the USB in there to carry it back to my room and when I left to take care of something else, I just forgot about it. That's all.**_

_**AC: Oh... Well, it still seems pretty silly to me.**_

_**MMM: Well, I'll make sure it goes in its proper place from now on when I'm not using it.**_

_**AC: Cool. :)**_

_**MMM: Alrighty then- on with the story!**_

* * *

><p><strong>Ch. 80 The Hunt Begins<strong>

It wasn't easy trying to plan how to get that locket from Umbridge. It was hard enough to get out of the Grimmauld Place as it was. Every day, there were tall figures in long black cloaks standing across the street, simply staring at the 'vacant' spot between Numbers 11 and 13. If any of the Golden Quartet had to go out to get something like food or whatnot, they had to make sure that they were wearing Harry's Invisibility Cloak properly from the moment they stepped foot out that door.

And then, to make matters worse, there began the interrogations. With the Ministry now being influenced by the Death Eaters, all muggleborn witches and wizards were being summoned for special hearings. According to a report a few days ago in the _Daily Prophet_, muggleborns were average muggles who had supposedly acheived magic by means of theft and/or force from witches and wizards, since it was 'impossible' for them to have magic of their own if they were born into non-magical families. Anya and Hermione, of course, hadn't gone to the summonings and were now being searched for. With the price of ten thousand gold galleons on Harry's head and the story of Ron being deadly ill and lying in bed at the Burrow, none of them could go anywhere without the fear of being caught.

"How do propose we get into the Ministry?" Ron asked one morning during breakfast. He and the others were all sitting around the table, pouring over plans of how to get in, each of them as useless as the last. "We can't even go past the front door without having to use the Invisibility Cloak. How are we going to get in there?"

"I'm not sure," Hermione replied, grabbing up one of the crumpled sheets of paper. Anya sighed as she stacked the papers aside so she could set the table. Kreacher still didn't like her very much, but he at least wasn't threatening to kill her like he use to, so it was progress. He was even starting to address her as 'Ms. Collins.' "Maybe we can try Polyjuice," she suggested.

"And who are we going to turn into?" Harry asked. "It's not like we know who Umbridge spends all her time with."

"Actually, we do," Anya smirked. She then walked over to the chair in the corner and grabbed all the old editions of the wizarding world newspaper. "Look at all these photos," she said, turning to each page that had a picture of Umbridge. In the background of that pink toad were always two particular people: one wizard with a very grim look and the other was some short woman who looked like she was being treated like a pack-mule. "These two are always there. I'll bet my life that the woman is a personal assistant to Umbridge and the guy is some kind of bodyguard or something."

"That takes care of two. That'll work fine: me and Harry can go in and-" Ron began, but Hermione cut him off.

The two began to argue their points to one another. While they so, Harry gently took Anya by the arm and led her away. "Do you think we could do this?" he asked her.

Anya gave him her signature look. "I've had several bottles worth of Polyjuice potion ready in my bag since the beginning of the summer. If I didn't think we could do this, would I have mentioned it?" she asked.

,:~:,

Anya was nervous as hell. They already got the two Ministry members that they needed to get closer to Umbridge and now, they got two other people who Ron knew worked in the Ministry. Anya quickly changed into the clothes of her 'character'- some kind of security guard named Rae Masterson- and truth be told, she was starting to doubt the plan. With only one hour to find Umbridge, get the locket from her, and get the hell out of there before the potion wore off, it was very unnerving. Though Anya would never admit it out loud, she was a little scared.

_'Of all the times for my confidence decided to take a one-way trip to Cuba,' _Anya thought as she followed the others to the entrances.

"You girls go into that loo over there," Ron whispered to Hermione and Anya as they got closer, discreetly pointing to the ladies room in the other direction. "You'll have to flush yourselves in."

Anya pulled a face. "Gross," she mumbled as she adjusted the leather trench coat she was wearing and stuffed her little bag into the pocket. If she was scared shitless on the inside, at least she looked the part on the outside. She just hoped that she didn't do anything stupid that would blow their cover. "You guys still have your rings?" she asked the others. Before the night they busted Harry out of Privet Drive, Anya had asked Fred and George to make three more of the protego rings they had developped: another ring similar to hers but with pale pink for Hermione, and two simpler masculine rings with amber and black stones for Harry and Ron.

The others raised their hands to show the rings sitting comfortably on their finger. "Alright... well, see you in a bit," she told the boys. With a sigh, she followed after Hermione to the ladies room and when it was her turn, she stood in the toilet- which turned out to be very tricky in the stiletto boots the real Rae Masterson had decided to wear for the day- and pulled the lever.

Anya had to bite her lip to keep from gasping when she saw just how much influence Voldemort had on the Ministry. Two years ago, she remembered running through these very passageways. The giant fountain, which once held a golden statue of each sort of magical being in the wizarding world- a witch, wizard, centaur, and house-elf- was gone, now replaced by a giant statue in black marble of a witch and wizard sitting in elaborately carved thrones. But when she stepped closer, she was that the 'carvings' were suppose to be bodies of men, women, and even children, supporting the wealthy wizards that sat there. At the base of the statues were the words 'MAGIC IS MIGHT'.

"Are those..." Anya tried to ask, but the question was stuck in her throat. Her stomach was twisting painfully and she was afraid that she'd throw up right there on the marble floors.

"Muggles... in their _rightful_ place," Hermione choked out. Out of the corner of her eye, Anya saw Ron and Harry walk up towards them. One look at Ron's borrowed face was clear to see that he wanted nothing more than to pull her brunette friend close and shield her from the nightmare that was staring them right in the face.

"Cattermole!" a voice shouted. All four friends turned to see the newest Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Yaxley, marching towards them. "It's still raining in my office, Cattermole," he addressed Ron.

"Oh..." the fake Cattermole's face turned pale. "Well... that's n-not good, is- is it?" he squeaked.

Yaxley scowled at him before smirking cooly. "You know, if _my _wife was accused of being a Mudblood, and the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement needed a job doing, I would make it my priority to do that job," he said viciously. "Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes sir," Ron replied. With that, he hurried off to what Anya guessed was Yaxley's office.

Yaxley gave him another sneer before he turned to Anya. "Good day, Masterson," he greeted her politely. "I see you're looking quite fetching this morning."

Anya had to surpress the shiver of disgust as his eyes raked over her attire. Anya figured that this woman had to have been the office slut judging by the extremely tight and revealing clothing she was sporting. At least now she knew how she actually got the job. "Thank you, Yaxley," she said with a clipped tone. Yaxley gave her a confused look and Anya mentally cursed herself. "And might I say that you're looking quite impressive yourself. Is that a new suit?" she complimented.

Yaxley seemed pleased. "Yes it is," he smirked, smoothing down the front of the expensive jacket. "I just got it yesterday. Do you like it?"

"It suits you quite well," Anya replied with a simple nod. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to work."

But as she went to walk away, a hand reached out and grabbed her by the elbow and stopped her mid-step. "Once Cattermole is finished fixing the problem with my office, I do hope to see you there after the trial. I have another... _large problem_ that needs taking care of," Yaxley whispered in her ear. She felt him brush up against her back and she felt his 'problem' pressing against her ass. "I take it I can expect your... _services _once again?" he questioned.

Figuring that this wasn't the first time Rae Masterson had done this, Anya played her role. "Absolutely, _Mr. Yaxley_," she crooned quietly, making sure to press back into him. Hearing his sharp intake of breath, Anya knew she'd done right. Giving him a flirtatious grin, she pulled away completely and strutted away, making sure to swing her hips in a provocative way. Once she saw Yaxley walk off, the grin vanished from her face. "Ugh! What a pig!" she told the others. "If I had known this bitch was such a slut, I would never have used her for the potion," she said, motioning to the body she was currently using.

Rae Masterson wasn't ugly by any means. She had long, dark brown hair that hung in soft curls and waves, and rich brown eyes that she seemed to accent with the right amount of eyeliner. A simple straight nose sat just above perfectly shaped lips that housed two rows of blindy white teeth. Not to mention that she had a body that most women spend months in the gym trying to gain but never do. It wasn't that surprising that Yaxley found her attractive. It was just a shame that Rae actually let him use her like that.

"I thought he was a married man," Hermione pondered.

"Guess he cared more about getting laid than actually showing affection to his wife," Anya grimaced. "And our dear little Rae here didn't care about who she'd give sexual favors for in exchange for a spot on the payroll."

"Mafalda." Everyone turned again to see the very woman they had come to find walking up to them in all her infamous pink glory. "Already here? Good." Not even waiting for a proper greeting, Umbridge dumped all the files she was carrying into Hermione's arms. "We'll head straight down then. She turned to Harry. "Good morning, Albert," she greeted him charmingly. But when she turned to Anya, her plastered smile turned to a curt sneer. "Masterson."

"Umbridge," Anya replied just a coolly. At least she didn't have to pretend to be best buds with the pink toad from hell.

Umbridge gave her a look before walking closer. Although she was at least a head taller in body alone and was wearing extremely tall boots, Anya still had to stop herself from backing away. "You know... if you actually did the job you were _suppose_ to be in charge of instead of allowing yourself to be Yaxley's s... _special bodyguard_, you might be worth something," she mocked Anya. "At the rate you're going, those terrible muggleborns and muggles rank higher on the bar than _you_." And with that, Umbridge left with a rather terrified Hermione close on her heels.

"Why, I outta..." Anya growled, making a step towards the plump pink witch to beat her to a pulp, but 'Albert' held her back. "Let me go!" she hissed at him.

"Anya, you have to be careful!" Harry insisted in hushed tones. "Don't let her get to you. Besides, she isn't insulting you- she's insulting Rae Masterson."

Anya felt herself calm down at that. "Right... I knew that."

,:~:,

Harry felt all the air rush out of his lungs as he looked at the door that led to Umbridge's office. Resting in the center of the plank of wood, slowly swishing around in the golden ring, was the familiar magic eye that had once belonged to Mad-Eye Moody. The anger towards Umbridge became even worse as he imagined her pulling the thing from his eye socket herself.

"Well, this is the place," Anya whispered, looking around. The room outside was packed with people making pamphlets. Even from the end of the room, the two friends could see the words _'MUDBLOODS and the Dangers They Pose to a Peacful Pure-Blood Society'_ written across the pink papers. "Ok- I'll create the distraction. You get in, find the locket, and get the hell out of there. Got it?"

"Why kind of distraction?" Harry asked. He sure hoped she would do something that would be degrading to her person. Rae Masterson could be a skank if she wanted, but Anya was far too good to have to even _act_ as one.

Anya gave a smirk. "I've got it all figured out." Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out a small handful of the tiny black Decoy Detonators. Standing straight, she began to walk through the room as if making sure people were doing their jobs right. Occasionally, she'd stop long enough to scoff at one of them while she discreetly dropped a Detonator to the ground. A few seconds later, all six of the Decoys went off with loud bangs and puffs of acrid black smoke. Harry took the chance and slipped into the office.

Not that the plan worked any. Harry tried to summon the horcrux to him, but it seemed that it wasn't even there. Thinking that Umbridge had put a spell on it to prevent things like this, he began to rummage through every cupboard and drawer to try and find it. But again, there was no locket to be found, only more pictures of himself with the title 'UNDESIRABLE NO. 1', a completed copy of the biography book on Dumbledore that Rita Skeeter had written, pictures of cats and doilies.

But there was something even more disturbing to see.

There were several files in one of the drawers. Two of them were on Albus Dumbledore and Sirius Black, large red X's marking the faces in the pictures of the gentlemen attached to them. One was of Mr. Arthur Weasley with every little fact about him and his entire family, with the words 'UNDER INVESTIGATION' stamped across the front. And the last two were the most disturbing. The wizarding pictures of Anya and Hermione were silently laughing as they stood merrily among their classmates. Underneath their names, the word 'MARKED' was stamped in bold red letters. The fear that his friends were in such danger grabbed at his heart.

Hearing the noise outside the door beginning to calm down, Harry shoved all the papers back in the desk drawer and slammed it shut. Then, being ever so quiet, he slipped out of the office.

Hundreds of pairs of eyes turned to stare at 'Albert Runcorn' coming out of their boss' empty office.

"What are you lot looking at?" a female voice barked out. Harry nearly sighed with relief when he saw Anya marching towards him with a large scowl. "Get back to work, all of you! I want this place to be spotless within the next five minutes or your jobs will be the last of your concern!" she ordered the employees. All terrified of the furious Rae Masterson, everyone hurried to clean up. Stopping in front of Harry, Anya gave him a cold look. "And what do you think _you're_ doing here, Runcorn? Shouldn't you be off doing something _productive_?"

Reading the look in her eyes, Harry followed her lead. "I could ask you the very same, Masterson. Shouldn't you be sitting in Yaxley's lap somewhere, letting him grab onto your arse with his tongue down your throat... among _other _things?" he mocked.

'Rae' scoffed. "At least _I_ don't work for the woman who is the most ironic joke in history. That ol' toad's blood status is questionable and here she is, getting those pathetic mudbloods off the streets!" Her eyes flashed down to his hand and her mouth twitched.

Realizing what she was getting at, Harry raised his hand and pretended to hit her across the face. When he heard the actual sound of a hand connecting with flesh and the yelp of pain Anya let out as she curled in on herself, he bent down to apologize. "Grab my arm and say you're bringing _me _in for investigation now," she whispered to him.

Not knowing what else to do but to follow her instructions, Harry 'roughly' grabbed her arm. "Why don't we go have a little word with your _charming_ employer? I believe he's down in the interrogation room as we speak," he growled. "Let's go!" And with a glare at the other occupants of the room, he marched off with Anya in tow. Once they were back in the lift and the golden gate closed over on the otherwise empty space, he let her go. "Anya, I am _so_ sorry! I swear, I didn't mean to hit you!" he began to apologize.

Anya stood straight again and gave him her famous smirk. "Don't worry about it. You didn't even hit me."

Harry looked at her in shock. "What do you mean 'I didn't hit you'? I heard the smack!" he exclaimed.

Anya continued to smirk and Harry watched as she slapped her own hand against her thigh. "The oldest trick in the book. For once, I'm actually _glad_ that I had to wear a skirt, even one this short!" she grinned. The skirt in question barely reached mid-thigh, but it did help the situation. "Tricky, huh?" Harry felt that little bit of tension ease away.

The lift door opened again and the fake Cattermole stepped in dripping wet from head to toe. "Good morning," he greeted them.

"Ron! It's us!" Anya said.

"Blimey! Harry, Anya! Thank Merlin! I forgot what you looked like," Ron exhaled.

Harry couldn't really say or do anything after that when other people came into the lift. When Mr. Weasley stepped in, he began to talk in hushed tones to his fellow 'employee', not knowing he was actually reassuring his son. As Harry, Ron, and Anya got out at the investigation area, Harry warned the older Weasley that his family was under investigation. It didn't escape their notice when the man's eyes became wide with surprise. "Harry?" he mouthed just before the door shut in his face.

,:~:,

Anya could feel nothing but a freezing chill seep into her bones as she and the boys got closer to the interrogation room. As they stepped in, Cattermole's wife was on trial. Looking around, Anya could see Umbridge sitting at the interrogator's seat, a fearful Hermione sitting right beside her. Sitting a few feet away, that slimeball of a wizard Yaxley was sitting proudly. When he saw that Rae Masterson had stepped into the room, he gave her a lustful stare. Anya had to resist the urge to run screaming.

"Reg?" Mrs. Cattermole gasped when she saw her husband standing at the door.

Thinking on their feet, both Anya and Harry grabbed Ron by the arms and dragged him further into the room and pushed him up onto the stand. "Thank you, Albert," Umbridge acknowledged Harry, not even giving Anya a second glance. That worked perfectly in Anya's opinion as she looked around the place and tried to gage their chances. There was only a small handful of wizards and if a fight broke out, she and the others could take them easy.

Looking up though, Anya's barely-there confidence slipped.

There had to be at least a hundred Dementors floating above their heads, many even more. Anya watched as a few tried to get closer, but they were stopped by the white wisp that was the patronus Umbridge had cast.

The next few minutes went by so fast, Anya barely could catch anything. One second, Harry was standing right beside her and the next, Harry was back to his real appearance and they were all running. She only caught seeing Harry stun Umbridge and Hermione yank the locket from her neck. The four friends, along with Mary Cattermole in tow, ran for their lives as the patronus disappeared at the Dementors were free to attack. They reached the elevator with seconds to spare and the gate closed fast. But the lift couldn't move as the Dementors reached their decaying hands through the bars, trying to reach the souls inside. Harry and Anya worked fast and shot two powerful patronuses at their attackers, sending them flying back and the lift back into motion.

"Damn shoes," Anya muttered. The boots were impossible to run in before, but as the Polyjuice potion wore off and she shrunk back to her natural size, they were starting to slip off her feet. Pointing her wand at her feet, she transfigured the books into a pair of sneakers.

As soon as they got off the elevator back to the main entrance, the four friends were running again. Yaxley had found another way to the main floor and was now chasing them. Anya looked over her shoulder to see him glaring at her hatefully and ready to kill. She ran to the nearest open fireplace and got ready to apparate out with Ron. But as they leaped forward and apparated away, she felt someone grab her arm.

* * *

><p><em><strong>MMM: And there we have it. Kind of leave it off with a bit of a cliffie. As for the witch Anya impersonated, I was going Eliza Dushku in mid BtVS era but with the fashion style of Andrea Parker's style of fashion from the show 'the Pretender'. I don't know why, but that's what came to me as I was writing and therefore, that's what it was.<strong>_

_**AC: Cool! You make her sound bad-ass!**_

_**MMM: Except for the fact that she relies on sleeping withguys in order to get a job that she is clearly under qualified for.**_

_**RM: Hey!**_

_**GQ: **_**Stupify! _*stuns Rae Masterson unconcious*_**

**_MMM: Nice job, you guys!_**

**_GQ: Thanks!_**

**_MMM: Well, that's it for tonight! See you next time!_**

**_Nancy (aka megamatchmaker)_**

_**PS- If any of you want an idea of what kind of outfit I imagined for Rae Masterson, type 'Ms. Parker Pretender' in your image search bar on google. The 5th pic in the first row was similar to what I thought of but with the jacket from very 1st pic and knee high, leather stiletto boots.**_


	81. Year 7 Ch6

**_MMM: Hey there everyone! Guess who! Yeah, it's me and I come with a gift- the new chapter. I'd just like to say that this one was actually interesting to write. I remember that when I first wrote it out on paper, I had written it from a dream I had a few night before where _I_ was Anya Collins. I don't know why, but that's what happened and I thought it would be good to use for this story._**

**_AC: Wait a sec! You mean you dreamed that you were me?_**

**_MMM: Yeah... it was a little weird._**

**_AC: What's that suppose to mean?_**

**_MMM: Dreaming that you're a fictional character made up for a re-make on a book series is not exactly a common thing._**

* * *

><p><strong>Ch. 81 Tensions Rise<strong>

Anya tried to fight off Yaxley as they flew through the magical system that was Apparating. Ron was behind the older wizard, trying to pull him off as well. Anya took aim and sent a swift kick to between Yaxley's legs, causing the man to howl in pain and let her go. But when they all landed in front of Grimmauld Place, Anya felt someone grab her arm again and the sensation of being sucked through a straw repeated all over again. She could hear Yaxley shouting at the wizards that had been guarding the house to not let them get away but they were too slow.

Anya grunted as she crash landed into the dirt. Rolling onto her back, she looked up to see cloudy skies and the tops of trees. _'We're definetely not in Kansas anymore,'_ she thought. Looking to one side, she saw Harry and Hermione in similar positions. They were a little shaken, but otherwise were alright.

A groan of pain sounded from her left and Anya turned her head to the other side to see Ron clutching at his shoulder. At first, she just thought that he had simply landed on a rock or fallen on his shoulder and knocked it out of place- wouldn't have been the first time it happened. But when she saw the large spot of crimson becoming even larger, she knew it had nothing to do with any crash landing.

"Ron," Anya breathed as she pushed herself up to her feet and rushed over to his side. "Ron! Ron, don't worry- you'll be alright. Just take deep breaths and try to keep calm," she reassured him as she yanked off her leather jacket and tied it around the wound. "Hermione!"

"What is it?" the brunette witch asked as she stood up. When she saw for herself, she let out a terrified scream.

"Hermione, I need you to get over here and apply pressure on the area," Anya instructed the other witch who was too shocked to move. "Hermione!" Her head snapped up. "Look, I know you're ready to freak out right now and maybe even want to pass out, but I need you to keep your head in the game. Understand?" Hermione just nodded in reply. "Good. Now get your ass over here and do as I say!" Hermione rushed over and crouched down beside them. "Alright, now keep your hands pressed here and stay like that. I've got something that'll help." And with that, she yanked her bag from the pocket of the trench coat and began to rummage through it.

"What happened?" Harry asked as he finally was able to stumble to his feet, that stupid locket clenched tightly in his fist. "I thought we were going back to Grimmauld Place."

"That was the plan," Anya agreed. She pulled out a tiny glass vial of Essence of Dittany, a compound extracted from the natural plant. It smelt awful and it stung worse than a lemon juice/salt mix on an open cut, but it helped heal certain kinds of wounds. Anya wasn't sure just how well it would work on someone who was splinched. "But Yaxley caught me as we apparated outta there." She uncorked the vial. "Ok Ron- this is gonna hurt like hell, but it'll help heal it faster," she warned the redhead. His blue eyes flashed with unmistakable fear but he nodded so Anya carefully peeled away the layers of cloth and began to apply the liquid in tiny drops.

"And once he saw- I knew we couldn't stay," Hermione's quivering voice finally spoke up. "So I grabbed everyone and apparated here." Her big brown eyes began to fill with tears. "But I didn't realize that Yaxley still had a grip on him... and Ron got splinched."

"Harry, I've got everything you'll need to set up a tent in my bag," Anya instructed the other wizard and tossed the small carry-on bag at him before pulling the rest of Ron's shirt off. "Hermione, you take this- rip it into strips. I need something to use as a sling for Ron's arm.È

,:~:,

The travelling was a lot harder now than it had been before. Because they couldn't stay at any inns or small hotels, they had to stick with the tent. Sure- it was magically adapted to accomodate for four people with plenty of space to move freely, but even magic couldn't completely block out the approaching bitterness that was the cold of winter. It wouldn't have been so bad if they could actually get to sleep, but with the looming doom of being discovered and caught, the nights were restless at best. And things weren't any better in the light of day. From the time the sun would rise to when it set, they were travelling by foot. With Ron's condition, they couldn't apparate anymore and with the wizarding world on the lookout for them all, they had to stick to the back roads and any abandoned areas to rest.

But that was just hitting the tip of the iceberg. The more dangerous and vicious bit that hid beneath the surface of the water came in the shape of that stupid locket. Anya loathed the thing with every part of her being. It was like Voldemort was there with them, waiting in the background for them to let their guards down for only a moment so that he could pop out of the locket and get them. They eventually began to take turns wearing it since when one wore it too long, it would bring out a more sinister, darker side of that person. Anya couldn't stand it: everytime she slipped the chain around her neck, her skin would crawl with the most uncomfortable feeling there ever was to a point where she'd want to throw up. And the worse part of it was that she couldn't even insult the bastard properly. According to what Ron had told them, the 'Ministry' had placed some kind of special spell so that if anyone ever uttered that name, they would know about it for the protection of the people. The truth of it was that it had nothing to do with any 'protection': it was nothing more than a ploy for Vol- for You-Know-Who to try and catch Harry.

It didn't change the fact that the tension was starting to get pretty thick. Anya didn't know what had happened exactly, but one day she woke up and Ron was in a terrible mood. At first, she thought it was because he was tired and getting annoyed that he had to keep his arm stuck in that damn sling all the time and how it slowed down the process every time they had to stop in order for Anya to check and see how the healing was coming along. Then she thought that maybe he was just antsy from listening to the 'missing people/death' reports on the radio, nervously waiting to hear whether or not if anyone in his family in either of those lists. But when she saw him constantly glaring at the other members of their little group, she figured that it had something to do with them... she just didn't know _what_.

Anya just wasn't sure one what to do anymore. On the one hand, she knew that if she didn't say or do anything, tempers around here would reach to a boiling point and explode. But if she did say something, it would probably still end with patience snapping but with her as a target. "Why does this keep happening to me?" she asked herself one night while she sat outside of the tent on guard duty.

"Is everything alright?" Hermione asked as she came outside, a couple of mugs in her hands. She offered one to Anya and the American witch accepted the warm of the hot chocolate eagerly. Hermione sat against the base of a nearby tree and sighed. "So?"

"It's fine," Anya reassured her friend before taking another sip of her drink and setting the mug aside. "Just wondering how it is that we always seem to get mixed up in all of this stuff. I mean, sure- there are times where we go looking for trouble. But you have to admit, there are times where _it_ comes looking for _us_. Why is that?"

"It's because you're all friends with me," Harry's voice spoke up as he came to join them.

Anya rolled her eyes at Harry's attitude. "Harry, I don't want to here that right now. It's just... I really can't take this right now!" she exclaimed. "It's just too much to handle!" Feeling too frustrated for words, Anya pushed herself to her feet and marched over to the nearby river.

Standing by the waterside, Anya wondered just how everything went so crazy so fast. Hell, they were only seventeen and here they all were, on the run and trying to destroy the biggest evil the wizarding world had seen in years? It was just too much. What happened to their childhood? Images of every big event of their lives flashed in her mind's eye: getting mixed up in the Sorcerer's stone, attacks on muggleborns, 'mass murderers' escaping and breaking into the school, the TriWizard Tournament... There was never a moment's peace ever since they became students at Hogwarts.

Anya's hand reached up to her own necklace she had on, she pulled on the chain until the familiar lightning bolt pendant slipped out of the collar of her sweater with a newer installment to the chain. Carefull opening the tiny silver locket with the detailed 'C' on the front, she was greeted with the two smiling faces of her parents and a baby version of herself resting in her mother's arms. Tears pricked at her violet eyes as she read the inscription on the back of the lid: _'07.04.80- the day we were blessed with our precious angel.'_ "I miss you guys _so_ much," Anya whispered sadly as the tears fell. She hoped that wherever they were now, they were as safe from harm as possible.

"Anya?" Hermione's voice called from behind her. Wiping at her tears, Anya turned back to her friend, glad that the darkness hid her current sorrow. "Are you coming to bed?"

"I'll be there in a sec," the American witch told the brunette.

Before falling asleep that night, Anya sent up a silent prayer, wishing for God to keep all those that she loved happy, healthy and safe.

,:~:,

_Snip... Snip... Snip..._ Anya looked up from her book for a moment to see Hermione sitting behind Harry, carefully cutting at his hair which had grown too long again. "You know Hermione, I think he'd look great with some highlights: maybe a little gold or copper- it'll bring out the color of Harry's eyes perfectly. What do you think Harry?" she joked with a grin, the first one in days.

"Very funny," the wizard replied sarcastically. Hermione grabbed his head in her hands and forced him to stare straight ahead again. "Ow!" he groaned. Anya just smirked before returning to Scarlett O'Hara vowing that she'd do whatever it took to make sure that she'd never be hungry again.

"Oh my God!" Hermione suddenly exclaimed, catching the two other occupants of the room by surprise.

"What?!" Harry worried, reaching back to the nape of his neck where she'd just been snipping at. Anya didn't see any blood but that didn't mean that Hermione didn't do something that made his hair look ridiculous. Cutting hair wasn't exactly something the brunette would ever specialize in as a career.

"Just give me a sec," Hermione asked, ignoring the worried tone as Harry begged her to explain right away. Instead, she rummaged through her trusty little bag until she eventually pulled out what she was looking for: a book.

"I didn't know you own a copy of _Hairstyling for Dummies_," Anya joked again. Harry's pale face became even paler as he turned to look at her. "Kidding."

"Aha!" Hermione exclaimed. "I was right! The sword of Gryffindor- it's goblin-made."

"Brilliant!" Harry said though he clearly had no clue what that meant.

Hermione looked up from the page. "No, you don't understand- dirt and rust have no effect on the blade. It only takes in that which makes it stronger," she explained further.

"And for those who have just tuned in," Anya announced like a TV host s she put her book back in her own bag. Instinctively, she slipped the strap over her shoulders and around her neck so that it rested on her hip properly. "Care to explain to us why that has such a significance when you were giving Harry a haircut? Is his hair so bad that you need a magical sword to get at it?" she attempted with joke number three, though it went unnoticed.

"Harry, you already destroyed a horcrux before!" Hermione exclaimed. "In the Chamber of Secrets, remember?"

"With a basilisk fang! If you mean to tell me that you've got one of those in that bleedin' bag of yours or even Anya's-" Harry scoffed.

"Oh yeah, sure! I keep it right next to the unicorn blood and acromantula venom," Anya said sarcastically. Harry looked up at her expectantly and Anya's brow puckered with annoyance. "It was a joke."

When Hermione finally came out with it and told them how the sword would have absorbed naturally powerful abilities that basilisk venom contains the night Harry had stabbed the creature to death five years ago, it started to make perfect sense. Dumbledore had tried to leave the sword to Harry because he knew that it was the only thing that they could use to destroy the horcruxes they'd find. Hermione laughed at herself for not making the connection sooner.

"Yeah... But there's just one problem-" Harry began.

Suddenly, all of the lights just went out, shrowding the tent in total darkness. Footsteps came from the sleeping area and then a tiny click sounded, followed by the lights coming back to life. Anya blinked at the sudden changes in lighting and saw Ron standing there, ashen face with the Deluminator in hand. "The sword was stolen," he reminded them. "Yeah... I'm still here. But please- don't mind me," he continued sarcastically.

That was when things really went to hell.

Anya had seen friends fight before- who didn't? A few verbal jabs, maybe even a hard smack across the face or something. Hell, she'd seen these guys argue with each other for days! But the things she was hearing! Harry scoffed at how Ron was whining about them not finding horcruxes every day or having to be on the run all the time, sleeping in some little tent instead of 'five-star hotels' and the like. Then Ron would bark back about Harry should have known _something_ about Dumbledore's plan for them instead of just running around in circles with only one horcrux and no plan on how to destroy it. But the worse part of it was when they began talking about family. As soon as Ron shouted that Harry _had_ no family, the fists started to fly.

"Guys, stop it!" Anya yelled over the scuffle between the two boys. "Stop!" She grabbed onto Ron and pulled back to try and break it up.

"Alright, go then!" Harry exclaimed as Hermione helped break up the fight as well by pulling him back.

Ron glared at the other wizard as he shook Anya off. He then yanked the locket off and threw it at the ground before he marched back into the sleeping aread. A few seconds later, he came marching back out with his backpack slung over his shoulder. Just as he got to the tent entrance, he turned and scowled at Hermione. "And what about you? Are you coming or are you staying?" Hermione looked between the boys and it was clear to see that she was torn between staying to help a friend or going with the boy she fancied. It didn't seem that obvious to Ron. "Alright... I get it- I saw you two the other night."

"What are you talking about? What 'other night'? What happened?" Anya asked.

"Ron, that was nothing!" Hermione defended herself, her eyes pleading with Ron to believe her. Anya could only guess that Ron had seen Harry and Hermione 'together' and was now being the jealous guy. If the situation wasn't so serious, she would almost laugh at the idea of Harry and Hermione ever hooking up as a couple.

Ron ignored Hermione and stomped out. "Ron!" Hermione shouted, but he didn't stop or look back.

When the brunette move to go after him, Anya stopped her. "I'll go after him," she said before hurrying after the redhead. "Ron! Ron Weasley, don't you dare ignore me!" she shouted at him.

Ron whirled around and turned his jealous rage onto her. "Why should I listen to you? How do I know that you didn't know about them? You probably did! You did, didn't you?! I can't believe you! How could you do this to me?! I thought we were better mates than that! Guess you really can't trust your friends, huh?!"

"You're starting to sound like a teenage girl who's PMSing," Anya commented. "And for the record, _Ronald_, the only thing that I know about this 'thing going on between them' is that it doesn't exist!" Ron scoffed and turned to continue walking away. "Ron, get back here right now!" When he didn't, she ran after him again. "I'm serious Ron, you do not want to piss me off right now 'cause I'm warning you, you _will not_ like what you see!" She grabbed onto his arm just as they stepped past the reach of all the protective charms and spells that surrounded the camping site. And the next thing Anya knew, she felt that familiar sensation of being sucked through a crazy straw.

* * *

><p><strong><em>DM: I'm sorry to butt in, but one of the last reviews we got asked about me and I'm rather curious as to when I will be coming back into the story.<em>**

**_MMM: Let's see... The Golden Quartet just got the locket-horcrux, Ron gets splinched, tempers flare, Ron marches off with Anya following him... Unfortunately, not for another 5 to 6 chapters._**

**_DM: What?_**

**_MMM: What do you expect? In the seventh movie and book, we only get a short mention of you until much later on. But don't worry. I've got a very good part for you to play._**

**_DM: I'm not a bloody actor! This is my life!_**

**_MMM: Just trust me! *turns to audience* Bye everyone!_**

**_Nancy (aka megamatchmaker)_**


	82. Year 7 Ch7

_**MMM: Sorry I haven't updated in so long! I've been really busy trying to find an actual job that I haven't had time to do any updating. I received a PM from a reader that was... I guess you can say that it was a wake-up call. Anyway, I don't want to bore you with all the details. I'm sure you'd rather just read the story.**_

_**So this chapter is really just about Anya and Ron this shot around between the time they left Harry and Hermione and when the eventually go back.**_

_**AC: So we **_**are_ going back then._**

**_MMM: Of course! The rest of the story depends on you guys going back!_**

**_RW: But are we going to be able to get rid of the horcruxes or not?_**

**_MMM: I can't tell you! You'll need to wait and find out!_**

* * *

><p><strong>Ch. 82 Why I Do the Things I Do<strong>

Anya stumbled and ended up face first into the dirt when she lost her balance. She sputtered out a mouthful of soil before she pushed herself back up to her feet. "What the hell Ron?! I nearly just got splinched because of you!" she barked at him while she tried to wipe the dirt from her clothes, but all it did was make the stains worse. "Damn," she mumbled.

"Too bad... we could have called it even then," Ron bit out before he started to walk in some random direction, eager to get away from her.

"Hey!" Anya couldn't believe just how snarky the readhead was acting. He barely got even five feet away before she caught up with him, got around to stand in front, and landed a very powerful punch to his jaw. A part of her almost _hoped_ that she broke it.

"Bloody hell!" Ron yelped as he clutched at his face. "What did you do that for?"

Anya's eyebrows shot up to her hairline. "Seriously?! You're asking me _that_?!" He gave her a look that showed that he was being serious. "Alright then, fine. You wanna know why- I'll tell you why. So sit down and shut up!" she ordered, pushing him hard enough that he ended up falling on his ass in the dirt.

"First off: you can take those stupid little notions you have in that thick skull of yours about Harry and Hermione being a couple and throw them out the window. 'Cause just the very mention of the idea is as crazy as... as You-Know-Who going all Mother Teresa on all the muggles and muggleborns on the planet," she began to explain.

"Who's Mother Teresa?" Ron asked.

"Zip it!" she hissed back. The redhead was actually smart enough to listen for a change. "My point is that there is no possible way of that every happening.

"Secondly, I didn't mean for you to get splinched. Trust me, I would rather that it had been me instead. It had been me that Yaxley was after- next to Harry, I mean: I'm a muggleborn, so that automatically makes me a 'wanted criminal'. Then you add in the fact that I'm best friends and on the run with the wizarding world's most wanted person as of date. Capturing me would give them something to use as bait to get to Harry. _And_ I am a witness to Yaxley cheating on his wife with some slutty co-worker that _he_ hired. Now, I'm not that well versed in law- wizarding or not- but I do know that if his wife found out about his cheating and filed for divorce, then she would have the right to a lot of his cash and maybe even more. Does Yaxley seem like the kind of guy that would let someone out of his sight when they have the kind of information that could destroy his life?" Ron continued to stay silent. "I rest my case," she continued.

"And the last thing I have to say is that you are the biggest jackass I've ever seen. What you said to Harry about his family- it was the lowest blow I've ever heard. I don't even think that _Slytherins _are as bad as you just were."

"But it was the truth! He _doesn't_ have family so he wouldn't know what it feels like!" Ron defended himself.

"And that's suppose to make it less vicious?" Anya shot back. She saw him cross his arms and huff and she knew she needed to reason with him better than that. "Just... try to look at it from Harry's point of view," Anya began to explain calmly. "Harry lost his parents when he was really young and the only person left in his life that actually gave a damn about him was sent to prison on fake charges. He ends up getting sent to the only relatives he had left who hate his guts and treat him like shit. Meanwhile, weird things start happening to him and no one can explain why- instead, he just gets blamed and punished. Then one day, he finds out the truth about his past- about who he _really is_. He meets your family, people who actually make him feel like he really mattered- not because of his title of 'The Boy Who Lived, but a _real person_. No one told you guys to do that, you just did. In the matter of a day, he got eight siblings- a best friend in you, and two parents that cared for him like he was their own child. You're all as close to an actual family that he'll ever have. Harry _does_ know how it feels to worry about his family- your family. He just knows that worrying out loud isn't going to help anything."

Ron seemed to finally come to terms with everything and Anya saw the guilt and self-loathing flash in his eyes when her words sank in. Anya sighed before she pulled up a seat on a fallen log. "Look, I get where you're coming from- really, I do," she told him. "You signed up for this without knowing how long it would be if you ever saw your family again. No way to contact them or find out if they're alright. Trust me, I know how difficult that is: I had to erase my parents' memories completely of me and send them off to another country in order to keep them safe. I don't know if they're alright or not and there aren't reportings about any missing people or deaths of muggles on any of those channels you're listening to all the time, so I'm really going out of my mind here. Hell, even if I _did_ send them a letter, they wouldn't even know me."

Ron stayed quiet for a few more minutes before he suddenly picked himself. "We've got to go back," he stated.

"Whoa! Wait a sec!" Anya exclaimed as she stood up and raced back in front of him. "Slow your rope, bucko! First off, it's late and we'll have no chance in hell in finding the camping area in the dark. Second, tensions are already at an all-time high back there. If we go back now, it will not end well and I don't have enough Essence of Dittany to put both of you boys back together again like Humpty Dumpty."

"Who's-"

"Never mind!"

,:~:,

The two friends walked through the wooden area they found themselves in for almost a half-hour before they saw the first signs of life: the soft golden glow of street lights. "Hold it!" Anya suddenly said, her arm swinging out to stop Ron from taking a step closer to the small town. "Is this place a muggle town or non-muggle or... what?" she asked.

"I think it's a muggle town, but I'm not really sure," Ron replied.

"So that means that there could be Death Eaters waiting around like that night at the diner on Tottenham Court Road," Anya commented.

"Well, couldn't we just pitch up that tent of yours again?" Ron suggested.

Anya huffed. "I wish we could, but we can't. Because the tent that we just went marching out of earlier this evening happened to be mine and not Hermione's. And last time I checked, I don't think either of us learnt any transfiguration spells to turn a rock or something into a tent, sleeping bags, or anything like that. Do you?" Ron shook his head. "I rest my case."

Both friends sighed in frustration and Anya ran her fingers through her messy hair. If they walked into that town, the muggles living there would take one look at their grubby appearance and immediately suspect something. And even if they didn't, any Death Eater or Ministry member would catch them in seconds. Sure, Ron could get away because there were so many people who would have his same physical traits that in a crowd, he'd be lost. But a muggleborn witch with auburn hair and violet eyes? A lot more noticeable.

That was when Anya's mind clicked. "Hang on a sec! I've got an idea," she told her friend.

"What is it?" Ron asked while he watched the American witch rummage through her bag.

"Metamorphus in a bottle?" Anya suggested. When the redhead gave her a confused look, she explained. "Ok- not the greatest name in the world, I get it. But same basic principle," she said before she pulled out a blue glass bottle. "You know how most Aurors are often witches or wizards that have metamorphus abilities? It's because they're able to change their entire physical appearance in seconds in case something happens when they're on a mission. They can blend into the crowd if their cover is blown." She held the bottle up and Ron could see a dark liquid sloshing around inside. "Well, I figured out a formula for a potion that produces similar affects: change the length and coloring of a person's hair or the color of their irises... Think Polyjuice potion but without the need of another person's hair or some other piece of their DNA."

"I'm not sure what DNA is, but that sounds bloody brilliant!" Ron congratulated her. She have him a grin before she uncorked the bottle. "So how long does this stuff last for?" he asked.

"Well, if the calculations I came up with when I was working on the formula are right... then it could last for an hour to an entire day," she replied. "It could depend on the person taking it."

"Well, what about side effects?" Ron asked. "Wait- it 'could depend'?"

Anya gave him a sheepish grin. "To be honest, I don't really know how it actually would work. You see... I never really got around to actually _testing_ it. It's been more theory than practical," she admitted.

"What?!" Ron exclaimed.

Anya tipped the bottle in his direction in salute. "Here's to my health," she said before she put the bottle to her lips and took a sip, ignoring the redhead's protests.

Anya had to admit that for all the ingredients she had put in the recipe, some of which she would rather forget about to be honest, it didn't taste horrible. Well, it did, but not like the Polyjuice potion. While that had tasted incredibly bitter and smelt like rotting food, this tasted sickeningly sweet: 'cotton candy dipped in caramel sauce and sprinkled with chocolate flakes and sugar' sweet. Anya grimaced at it as she put the bottle back in her bag.

"Well? How do you feel?" Ron asked worriedly.

Anya frowned as she looked at her hands. "I don't feel any different. Do I look any different?" she asked.

It came on so suddenly, Anya wouldn't have been able to prepare herself even if she tried. One second, she was standing there and the next, she was on the ground, doubled over with her skin burning hot. It was like nothing she'd ever imagined. And just as suddenly as it started, it just stopped.

"Whoa..." Anya looked up at her friend, who had been too shocked to try and help her, to see his face frozen in stunned silence. "Look at you!" he whistled.

Pulling out a compact mirror, Anya opened it to see a completely different person staring back at her. Her normally long and dark auburn locks were gone and replaced by a bowl-cut of colorful strands from natural brown to neon pink. Her left eye had remained violet but the right was now electric blue, the center ring of the iris swirling with different colors. "Whoa! How do I stop this?!" she exclaimed. As her worry levels spiked, the colors on her head started changing colors at rapid speed. It was like looking through a child's kaleidoscope.

"Just try focusing on one look," Ron suggested.

Anya gave a worried smile but took a deep breath as she closed her eyes. In her mind's eyes, she saw many different styles and forms of genetic appearances: Hermione's wavy brown locks, the tiny freckles that peppered across Ginny's nose, the soft and gentle grey eyes that belonged to Draco- Shaking her head frantically, Anya willed that last memory away.

Thinking back on Ginny, Anya imagined the ginger locks on the younger witch, but with more curl and bounce. Blue eyes flashed by and she willed her body's new abilities to take on that look as well. Her skin tingled as she hoped it took on a paler tone as the potion worked, a few freckles popping up here and there. Once she figured that she was done, she cracked one eye open and looked at Ron who gave her an encouraging smile. Taking it as a good sign, she opened the other eye and looked in the mirror again.

It was incredible how much she looked like one of the Weasleys- she could easily pass off as Ron's twin! The ginger curls looked almost too amazingly perfect for them to be real, but when Anya gently tugged on a few strands, she felt the sensation on her scalp. And those bright blue eyes were too pale to look like contacts over her natural color. "Holy... crap," Anya whistled. "Make-up departments couldn't do this on their best day," she joked. Tucking the mirror back into her bag, she pulled out a quick change of clothes. "Now... background story..."

After changing into some clothes that didn't look she'd just gone through a landslide, Anya and Ron decided that it was safe enough to head into town. "Ok, so give it to me one more time," she said to Ron.

"Alright- I'm Robert McHale and your my twin Ruby. Our parents are Patrick and Mary McHale. They've been married for over twenty years and we're their only children. We graduated from high school early due to our 'academic acheivements' and we decided to go on a siblings-only backpacking trip through England before we went out seperate ways- for the first time in years- to different colleges; you to study nursing in the States and me to become a lawyer on a... fooball sholarship?" Ron recited.

Anya cringed. "Ooh! So close. It's a_ football scholarship_," she corrected him as they continued down the deserted streets. "Pop quiz- what's the kind of football scholarship it is again?" she asked him.

Ron was stumped. "I don't remember!"

Anya rolled her _blue_ eyes at him. "It's for American football. Trust me, give the wrong answer and then the rest of your story I gave you will be bogus," she told him.

"Well what's the difference?" Ron asked. "I mean, how is 'American football' not the same as the kind here in Europe- if we even have one."

"Oh trust me, there's a diff," Anya told him. "American football is the kind I explained to you: pigskin pointed ball, two really tall posts, certain yards mean certain points, etc. _European_ football is way different- no helmets needed and it's a really big net at each end of the field which is a lot smaller, and you can't touch the ball with your hands- head or feet only. Back home, they call it 'soccer'."

Ron looked confused. "So you mean to say that there is one name for two completely different sports when back in the United States, our version of 'football' is called by a different name?" Anya nodded in reply. "Well, that doesn't make any sense."

"Tell me about it," Anya sighed as they finally came by the local inn. "Just let me do the talking, alright?" she said before she opened the door to see an elderly woman sweeping the floor. "Good evening, ma'am," she greeted the lady in her best British accent, surprising not only Ron but herself. "My name is Ruby McHale..."

,:~:,

"Ah! A real bed!" Anya sighed as she flopped onto the large mattress, the clean sheets cool against her skin. "Oh, it's been too long!"

"I'll say," Ron agreed as he closed the door to their room. "What I'd like to know is how did you get that old broad to let us stay the night at such a cheap price?" Ron wasn't an expert, but he knew that twenty pounds in muggle money was a ridiculously good price for a decent room.

Anya pushed herself up on her elbows and gave her a grin. "Oh, that was nothing! All I did was be my lovable self, showed the ol' dimple a couple shots and my killer-sweet smile... Oh! And I promised her that you'd go out with her granddaughter," she added as an afterthought.

"What?!" Ron exclaimed. He ended up dropping his backpack onto his foot. "Ow!" He dropped onto the other bed and held his foot. When he looked up at Anya, he saw that she was laughing at him. "What is so funny?"

Anya grinned her mega-watt smile. "You! You actually thought I was serious about that? Come on! I know you've got it bad for Hermione," she told him.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Ron tried to evade, but he could feel the burning heat in his ears as they became red.

Sitting up on her bed, Anya continued to grin at him. "Don't try to deny it, Ronald Billius Weasley!" she teased. "I know that look- that look is the one that everyone on the planet gets when they fall in love." She grabbed her bag and began to pull things out to get ready for bed. "Besides, it was easy to put two and two together after that day in the Hospital Wing at Hogwarts," she added before she headed into the bathroom, locking the door behind her.

Ron tried to leave her to her business, but his curiosity got the better of him after five minutes. "What do you mean?" the wizard asked through the door. "What day in the Hospital Wing?"

"It was right after you were poisioned," came Anya's muffled reply over the sound of running water. "You kept going in and out of conciousness the next morning. Remember how we told you how you and Lavender had talked together that day and that was when you guys broke up?" Ron nodded but then realized that Anya couldn't see, so he shouted 'yes' through the door. "Well... that wasn't the story exactly."

"What do you mean?" Ron repeated.

The door swung open and as the steam came pouring out, Anya came back into the bedroom in black sweatpants and an over-sized top. Tying up her wet hair, she continued. "Well, Lavender _did_ come to see you in the Hospital Wing, that much is true. And you guys did have a short conversation... you don't know just how 'short' it really was." The other redhead looked at her confused. "You were out of it at the time she came to visit and you said something: _Hermione_."

"Oh boy!" Ron paled when he realized just how bad that would have sounded to the girl he had been dating at the time. Hearing him mention another girl's name while he was unconcious must have really hurt Lavender. Sure, he had planned on breaking up with the girl anyway, but she had at least deserved to be let down easier than that.

"Yeah," Anya agreed as she tucked her things back into her bag. "You know... Hermione likes you that way too," she announced.

"Really?" Ron asked expectantly. "How do you know? Has she said anything?"

Anya gave a shrug. "Well, she never admitted it outright like 'I love Ron Weasley', but yeah... she's admitted it. And all the signs were there: how she'd always get uncomfortable when she saw you with Lavender, or the certain ways she'd look at you before all of that... The cute little smiles you guys give each other and not to mention at Bill and Fleur's wedding- she spent the whole night glancing over at you." Looking back, it was hard not to notice the look of male pride on his face. "Well, you _were_ killing it in that suit. Very handsome," Anya added.

"Well, what should I do?" Ron asked as he sat down on his bed, ignoring the teasing about his attire that day. "Should I talk to her about it?"

Anya turned and stared at him in shock. "No! You can't do that! You say something now and not only will Hermione know that I squealed, but she'll just deny everything! No- you don't say anything. Hermione is the kind of girl that needs to work up the courage to do something. You just need to let her make the first move." She then made a shooing motion. "Now go at take a shower or something, would ya? You stink!" she laughed.

Ron laughed before he grabbed his things to go freshen up himself.

When he came back out of the bathroom, clean and tired, Anya was tucked away under the sheets, asleep. Looking the way she did at that moment, Ron could have sworn that she was an older version of Ginny. It made thinking of her as his sister that much more believable and it made seeing her in this situation that much harder. He remembered what she had told him about her parents and he felt like shit for snapping at her- for snapping at everyone. Anya was right- Harry _was _like another brother to him and the idea that he and Hermione would go behind Ron's back was crazy.

_'Tomorrow... we'll find them tomorrow and sort this all out,'_ Ron thought before he turned off the lights and fell asleep himself.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AC: AWW! Ron, you're so sweet!<strong>_

_**RW: *blushes bright red***_

_**MMM: Yeah, you are rather sweet, Ronald. Anyway, that's it for today!**_

_**AC: Hey, what are we gonna call my potion anyway? 'Metamorphus in a bottle' is kind of a mouthful.**_

_**MMM: We'll figure something out. Or maybe the readers might want to suggest something?**_

_**Nancy (aka megamatchmaker)**_


	83. Year 7 Ch8

_**MMM: Hey everyone! Look who's back! :) And I come with a new chapter!**_

_**AC: About time!**_

_**MMM: And what's that suppose to mean?**_

_**AC: That it's been a long time since you've updated and the readers are anxious for more.**_

_**MMM: I updated on the first of July!**_

_**AC: And now it's the 20th. It was time for a new chapter.**_

_**MMM: Hey, at least it's sooner than the last time lapse between updates. That was about an entire month!**_

_**AC: Still... Kind of slow.**_

_**MMM: Whatever. And here I was going to share some good news with you all.**_

_**AC: What is it?**_

_**MMM: Not telling! *smirks***_

_**AC: Come on!**_

_**MMM: Well, if you **_**must_ know... A friend of the family happens to be very good with computers and other gadgets and I brought my laptop over to him to see if he could fix it. He said there was a chance he could. If things go well, I could have my own laptop back soon which means more updates._**

**_AC: Awesome!_**

**_MMM: We'll have to wait and see. Anyway, on with the chapter!_**

**_You know the disclaimer. If not, look at previous chapters. You'll find one eventually. ;)_**

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><p><strong>Ch. 83 That's Not Good<strong>

Anya woke up the next morning to the smell of hot coffee and warm pastries. Pulling the covers back, she saw Ron sitting at the little table in the room, a copy of the local muggle paper in one hand and a mug of coffee in the other. "Morning," he greeted her with a smile, something Anya hadn't seen from him for... too long. "Mrs. Young had a spread laid out downstairs. I didn't know what you wanted so I grabbed a little of everything," he told her, motioning to the assortment of food in front of him: croissants, toast, hard-boiled eggs, danishes, fresh fruit, yogurts, and other stuff. "I suggest this stuff: there's nothing magical about it, but it's bloody tasty," he commented, holding up a mini box of Lucky Charms cereal.

"Noted," Anya grinned as she got up and went to sit in the other chair at the table. Grabbing a croissant, she ripped it open and began to pick at the warm, fluffy center. When Ron placed a cup of coffee in front of her, she dumped a spoonful of sugar and a lot of milk in it before taking a sip. "Mmm... that's good stuff," she sighed.

"You still look like Ruby McHale," Ron told her. Pulling on a strand of hair, Anya saw that it was still ginger and not auburn. She imagined it turning a dark purple and it worked instantly. Giving a small frown, she willed it back to the ginger red. "Anya... what if something happened that made this _permanent_?" he stressed.

Anya thought about it for a second before shrugging. "I could always sign up for the position of an Auror when this is all over," she said. When she saw the look on Ron's face, she just shrugged. "Look, I knew the risks when I took the stuff. It was my fault: I didn't bother testing it before trying it myself. So if the price of that is my being a metamorphus for the rest of my life, then so be it."

"Well, how long has it been in affect?" he asked.

Anya looked down at the timer she'd set on her watch. "According to this- almost ten hours. But that's not important now." Anya picked up her bag which she had set at the table last night and pulled out a tiny notebook and pen.

Flipping through the pages, she came to one that had a drawing titled 'The Universe of T.M.R'. In the center of the page was an oval shape with TMR written inside, and around it was a ring of seven smaller ovals, each marked HC above it from numbers one to seven. "Ok, so we know that the first horcrux was that diary," she began, making a quick doodle of a book in the first space. "The second was the locket." In oval number two, she drew a mock-up of the locket. "And horcrux number three was a ring," she added, drawing a black stone in the third space. "All of this stuff belonged to You-Know-Who at some point or had some sort of close connection to him: the diary given to him by the orphanage that he grew up in and hated, while the locket was apparently something that had belonged to his mother, a decendant of Salazar Slytherin himself. As for the ring, that had belonged to his grandfather, another decendant of the Slytherin bloodline and the person who cast You-Know-Who from the wizarding world before he was even born. Sounds like pretty obvious things to me." Leaning back in her seat, Anya sighed as she tapped her pen against the paper. "So what could the other four items be?" she questioned before taking another sip of her coffee. "And _where _are they?"

"Maybe he keeps them close by?" Ron suggested.

Anya just shook his head. "No... I don't think so. If he was smart, he'd keep one as close to him as possible so if the others were destroyed, it would be impossible to destroy the last one without doing it right in front of him. The others, he'd keep hidden, maybe even disguise them as gifts to someone he knew would protect it," she explained. Looking back up from the page, she asked Ron, "Do you know anything about the history of the Slytherin bloodline that could involve certain objects? Things that could be used as horcruxes?"

Ron shrugged. "I often slept through Professor Binns' class," he admitted.

"Hmm..." Anya sighed. Snapping the book closed, she tucked it back away and pulled out some fresh clothes. "Well... we better get ready and get going. It's gonna be a while before we find the campsite again."

,:~:,

The two friends stumbled as they landed back where they'd been the previous night. "Man, that is seriously getting old," Anya groaned, silently cursing herself for eating so much food at breakfast before apparating. Shaking off the feeling, she began to walk in the direction she knew the campsite was, Ron following closely behind.

Or at least she thought she knew.

With all the protective charms she'd placed on the area as they'd been setting up, Anya knew that there would be a trace left: a tingling sensation as they'd pass through the barrier. But they walked and walked... and _walked_, and there was nothing there.

"Are you sure we're heading the right way?" Ron asked.

"Of course!" Anya exclaimed. She checked the map in her hands along with the compass. According to them both, she and Ron should have already passed the site. But there wasn't a single trace there.

Just as she was about to suggest that they'd turn around and try the other direction, she noticed something red against the snow-covered bark of one of the trees in the distance. "What is that?" she wondered. Not even waiting for Ron to answer, she raced towards it.

It was a scarf.

"Wait a minute- that's Hermione's!" Ron stated. "My mum made that for her for Christmas two years ago."

Anya looked and sure enough, the familiar knitting abilities of Mrs. Weasley could be seen in the red fabric down to her sewing skills with the initials H.G. at the end. "Hermione must have put this here as a reference point if they needed to come back," Anya figured out. "Smart thinking."

"But if that's the case, then where did they go to?" Ron asked.

Anya was stumped on that one. "I'm not sure." Looking back at her map, she saw that the next small town after the one she and Ron had spent the night in was not far after it. "Maybe they continued to the next town or they could have just apparated somewhere else entirely. I can't be certain."

"So where should _we_ go?" Ron asked.

"I think we should go to the next town, see what we can find," Anya replied.

So they apparated to the next town, but just like Anya figured, there was no sign of their friends there. Sure, she hadn't expected them to go walking into town, but they spent hours searching the surrounding forests and there was nothing. When the skies became dark, they decided to go into town again and get another room at the inn there, paying with the offer of their services as a waitress and a bus boy.

It was almost nine in the evening when Anya got the scare of her life.

The five men that sat in her section were terrifying and sinister-looking. Anya remembered reading about them in the _Daily Prophet_ a few days back: Snatchers, the Ministry's officers who were on the lookout for the muggleborns in hiding. Anya had to take a deep breath to compose herself before she walked up to their table. "Hello, I'm Ruby and I'll be your waiter tonight. Can I get you anything?" she asked with a smile and her British accent.

"Five pints, darlin'," the leader ordered. When he looked her up and down, Anya had to surpress the urge to run and hide. "Care to join us?" he grinned suggestively.

"Love to, but I'm still working," she replied with another sweet smile while she wrote down the order on her pad. "Anything else, gentlemen?" she asked as she turned to the other men.

The biggest of them looked up with a sneer. Anya remembered seeing his picture in the papers last year: it was Fenrir Greyback, werewolf/wizard escapee of Azkaban, and the man who had cursed Remus and Bill into being werewolves. He was beyond terrifying- Anya had read that this man killed for the fun of it and enjoyed giving people the werewolf bite, children especially. "Ribs- rare," he growled. Anya just nodded and wrote it down before hurrying away to place the order.

The men sat there for hours and Anya had to suffer through the humiliating things they did to her from grabbing at her ass to the lewed comments about 'shagging her'. When they finally left at the closing time, Anya nearly wept with relief. "Are you alright?" Ron whispered to her as he came over to the table to help clean up.

"Yeah..." Anya replied as she gathered as many beer mugs as she could. "Man, I thought they'd never leave!" she sighed.

That was when they noticed it. Sitting amongst the dirty dishes that covered the table, was a wand. Anya remembered seeing one of the Snatchers carelessly fooling around with it at the table. It seemed that his stupidity came to bite him in the ass. But what shocked Anya the most was when Ron picked it up and shoved it into his pocket. "Ron, what are you doing?!" she hissed at him.

"One less wand for them is better chances for us, don't you think?" he questioned.

Anya gave him a look before she grabbed his free arm and pulled him behind the bar. "You're going to get in serious trouble!" she whispered while frantically wipping at the already clean counter.

A knocking on the pub door brought their attention away from one another. Looking through the dark room, they saw the shadowy figure of the very Snatcher they just stole from trying to look in through the frosted glass windows. Anya grabbed onto Ron's arm again and pulled him down to crouch behind the counter. "Shit!" she cursed as she grabbed her bag where she'd left it.

"Anya, you're turning back into yourself!" Ron whispered to her, the knocking becoming louder in the background.

"What?" Looking in the closest reflective surface, Anya saw that she had in fact returned to her natural appearance. "Oh, great!"

A hand suddenly shot out of the dark and grabbed onto Anya's shoulder. Letting out a tiny yelp, Anya turned with her wand in hand and pointed it at the figure. "Relax, Anya, it's me- Ms. James! It's alright!" the owner of the pub reassured them both. Anya squinted and she could make out the slightly older woman's features through the dark.

"Ms. James!" she exhaled in relief only to tense back up. The woman had seen her real face, knew her real name, and there was a Snatcher right outside. Thinking that this woman was going to rat them out, Anya returned the wand at the woman's throat. "How do you know me?"

"I've seen you're picture in those papers of yours," Ms. James replied in a calm voice. "I want to help."

"And why should we believe that?" Ron demanded.

"Because I don't want to see those bastards destroy another person's life!" Ms. James replied. "I had a twin sister. When we turned eleven years old, she received a letter accepting her to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I didn't. Holly went to that school and eventually graduated as a witch. She was going to become one of the best doctors there ever was," she began to tell them. "Three weeks ago, Holly came in to help me with the pub. My regular girl called in sick at the last minute and I didn't have anyone else.

"I had to go in back to clean up a bit around closing time. When I came back, I saw Holly talking with some of those men. They were talking about something involving magic, so I stayed hidden behind the wall to avoid intruding... and right before my very eyes, they killed her." The woman looked close to tears.

"I stood aside and saw my sister be killed by those bastards. I'll be damned if I let them destroy another person's life when I was there to stop it." Nodding her head to the door leading into the kitchens, she told them to go and hide. Once Ron and Anya were safely hidden, Ms. James stood straight and walked calmly over to the front door. "I'm terribly sorry, but the pub is closed for the evening," she told the dark wizard when she opened the door.

"It'll only be a moment- I forgot something," the Snatcher told her. But when he made a move to step through the door, she held her ground and stopped him.

"I said I'm sorry, but I can't let you come in," Ms. James insisted. The wizard didn't look amused and forced his way in. "Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to leave! This is considered trespassing!" she shouted, but he just ignored her and began looking around. When he didn't find the missing wand at the table, he looked around at the ground and still couldn't find it.

"Where is it?" he hissed at the owner.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Ms. James replied. No sooner as the words left her lips, a gasp quickly followed along with a bang. Anya and Ron carefully glanced around the corner to see the man holding Ms. James against the wall with his hand wrapped firmly around her throat. Anya almost gasped out loud, but Ron was fast enough to clasp his hand over her mouth before that happened.

"I know you- you're that James mudblood," the Snatcher sneered at the gasping woman. "I thought we took care of you weeks ago." Looking closely at her, he seemed to pause. "No... you don't have magic. A twin? My, my... how delicious," he smirked.

"You bastard!" Ms. James gasped out. The young witch and wizard watched as she smashed the vase she had sneaked off a nearby table over her attacker's head. While the Snatcher was doubled over in pain, she turned to them. "Run! Get out of here!" she shouted.

"Anya, come on!" Ron insisted to the American while he tugged at her arm to get her out of there.

The last thing Anya saw or heard as they ran towards the kitchen was the Snatchers barging in, the shouting of the killing curse, and a flash of bright green light followed by Ms. James' dying scream.

And then, they apparated away.

,:~:,

Anya tossed and turned in her bed, willing herself to sleep but it just wasn't happening. She glared at Ron's still form on the other bed and hated the fact that he was able to sleep. Huffing in annoyance, she tossed the covers off and climbed out of bed. Slipping her feet into her boots and her jacket over her shoulders, she carefully opened the patio door and slipped out onto the balcony. Then, she lit up.

Anya wasn't really sure how she became a smoker. She sure as hell didn't appreciate the bitter taste of the stale tobacco on her tongue. But despite that, she could honestly say that she felt somewhat relaxed whenever she had a cigarette, which was a rarity in itself as of late. It wasn't like she was a constant smoker either: just the occasional few puffs when things became to jumbled in her head and she needed to clear it.

Letting the nicotene fill her senses, Anya looked out on the street below. It was Christmas Eve and the small village looked like something from an old movie: the snow-covered ground lit by old-style lamps, puffs of smoke spilling out of the chimneys of the quaint little houses. As Anya watched, a family came walking up the street from the midnight mass at the church up ahead, the mother and father smiling happily as their little girl ran up ahead, throwing handfuls of snow into the air.

Anya felt herself smile at how carefree the little girl was wrapped up in her personal winter wonderland. It reminded her of her own childhood. Thinking of that made Anya wonder about her life. Would she be like that still if she had never learnt about the wizarding world? Would she be off on Christmas break with her muggle friends up at a ski lodge, unaware of the war that was going on against You-Know-Who as she sipped hot chocolate? Would she have seen someone die right in front of her eyes like she had only hours ago?

It made Anya feel guilty, but a part of her wished that she had never gotten her Hogwarts letter. That she had never gone to Hogwarts and became friends with the famous Boy Who Lived. That way, she wouldn't be worrying about her family so much, wondering if they were even alive or not. She would just be an ordinary girl living an ordinary life back in New York and away from all of this.

But as quickly as those thoughts entered her head, Anya would mentally scold herself for even thinking such. Feeling even more confused than before, she dropped the cigarette butt in the snow and crushed it with her heel before turning back to the door and slipping in.

"You know..." Anya jumped as she finished hanging up her stuff. Turning to where the voice came from, she saw Ron sitting up in his bed. "Those things can kill you." He nodded his head to her jacket where the box of cigarettes sat in her pocket.

Anya shrugged. "Don't smoke often or that much. Chances are I'd die of something else before I die of lung cancer. Besides, I'm not gonna live my life in a plastic bubble," was all she said before walking over to her bed and climbed in. "Good night," she added before turning on her side and closing her eyes, finally drifting off to sleep.

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><p><em><strong>AC: Smoking... Seriously?<strong>_

_**MMM: It was the best thing I could come up with.**_

_**AC: But... smoking?**_

_**MMM: Yup! Anyway, that's it for this chapter! Keep reviewing and I'll try to post more up soon!**_

_**Nancy (aka megamatchmaker)**_


	84. Year 7 Ch9

_**MMM: So I'm back! First, I'd like to give a shout-out to someone in particular. Loki'sLittleEnchantress, thank you so much! Because of your wonderful and kind words, I've been on a typing frenzy and have only 3 chapters left to finish! If it weren't for you, I might have considered just discontinuing it or even remove it completely! So thank you again!**_

_**AC: Thanks LLE! You're the greatest! Love ya! And thanks for the name for my potion: Thenza Morphous. It's perfect!**_

_**MMM: And I've got more great news- my laptop is fixed! My family friend was able to bring it back to its factory reset and I've got my completed chapters saved on a USB key, so I'm back in the game! To say I'm happy is a bit of an understatement. :)**_

_**So let's get started!**_

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><p><strong>Ch. 84 Back Together Again<strong>

The next morning came quickly and the two friends were swept up in the madness of Christmas Day. They attended the morning mass, where Ron clearly was out of his element with such a muggle custom, exchanged a couple of small trinkets they'd found in a little shop, and joined the other guests of their little inn for Christmas dinner.

"Anya! Anya, wake up!" a voice hissed in the young witch's ear, causing her to come back to the world of consciousness and reality. Opening her sleep deprived eyes, Anya turned on her back to see Ron standing by her bedside, his blue eyes wide with shock. In his hand, she could make out the small metallic Deluminator that had been left to the redhead by their late headmaster. "You'll never believe what just happened."

"You're telling me," Anya yawned as she stretched. "I was just having the greatest dream: I was poolside at some beautiful exotic resort, and I had three of the hottest looking guys on the planet waiting on me hand and foot. I was wearing this great bikini that I looked absolutely smokin' hot in and everyone's eyes were on me," she gushed. When she looked up, she expected to see an uncomfortable look on the boy's face, but he still seemed too shocked to have even heard her. That caused her to worry. "Hey... are you alright?" she asked him as she pushed the blankets off and stood up.

"Hurry up and pack," Ron told her before he dashed over to his side of the room and gathered all of his stuff. "We're going back."

"Back? Back where?" Anya asked as she tugged a sweater on over her sleeping clothes. _'Thank God for the invention of sports bras and sweatpants pajama bottoms!' _she thought while tugging on socks and her boots. Looking at her watch, she saw that it was almost five in the morning. "Where are we gonna go? Most places are closed at this time," she told him.

"We're going back to Harry and Hermione," he replied as he continued shoving things into his backpack.

Anya stopped what she was doing and looked at him. "Ron, try to be reasonable- we don't know where they've gone or what and even if we did have an idea of where, they probably have all those protection spells and charms guarding the campsite. We could walk right by them and not even realize it."

"Just trust me, I know what I'm doing," Ron said. Anya decided to take a chance and listened. Once she finished gathering her stuff together, she got up and walked to his side. "Hold on." He grabbed onto her hand tightly and before she knew it, Anya was being sucked into the apparation along with her friend. When they came out on the other end, they were in the middle of the woods somewhere.

"Ok... mind telling me why this is such a great spot?" Anya asked as she caught her balance while looking around. "Looks to me like the last several places we've gone looking from Harry and Hermione, down to the snow covered grounds and fallen trees." Looking back at her friend, she gave him a look. "Did you take some new medication or something?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," Ron replied.

"Try me," Anya shot back.

But just as Ron was about to try and explain, something caught Anya's eye. "Hold it. Look over there," she said as she pointed.

Off in the distance, there was some sort of soft white-blue glow. Although it wasn't perfectly clear, the patronus was of some slender creature that stood tall on four legs. "That looks like Harry's patronus!" Ron exclaimed.

"I don't know..." Anya said. From afar, the mysterious animal couldn't be made out properly, but it didn't look like a stag to her. No, it looked more like its feminine counterpart, a doe. But maybe it was just Anya's eyes playing tricks on her.

The patronus turned its head towards the two friends, as though it were silently calling to them to follow. Then it turned back and began to walk away. "Come on!"

,:~:,

It seemed like forever that Anya and Ron hurried after the mysterious patronus. A few times, they almost lost the light form, but they'd find it again. But never once did they see the person that controlled it. And then suddenly, it just stopped. The two teens stopped running after it and waited to see if anyone would come out from behind the trees or what, but nothing changed.

"Did you hear that?" Ron asked, causing Anya to jump as the words cut through the silence.

Anya listened but she didn't hear a thing. Just as she was about to say that though, she did hear something, like splashing. Following her ears, Anya hurried to the sound, Ron close on her heels and the patronus forgotten. Coming to a clearing, she saw a large pond, its surface covered with a thick sheet of ice and dusted with snowflakes. And in that dusting, leading to a freshly made hole in the center of the pond, were footprints. Even from the edge, Anya could see the cold waters rippling in the hole. Someone was here.

Carefully stepping out onto the ice, Anya slipped and slid over to the hole with Ron at her side. Looking in, she could see someone below the water, swimming down farther. But as that person got to the bottom, they reached out for something and then suddenly, they were writhing around, clutching at their neck.

Both friends threw their bags off their shoulders and dived head first into the waters.

The icy-cold bit at Anya's eyes, the burning sensation cutting into her skin deeply. But despite the pain, Anya pushed through. Swimming down to the drowning victim, Anya could make out pale skin and dark hair. Ron got to the other person first, hooking his arms under them to help haul them back to the surface. Anya was about to follow after them, but a glint on the pond's floor caught her eye. It was the sword of Gryffindor! Remembering the conversation before they had parted ways from their other friends, Anya knew that the sword would be vital in destroying the rest of the horcruxes, so she swam deeper to get it, ignoring the burning in her lungs from the lack of oxygen. At a point, she almost expected to be attacked by some spell that had tried to kill the person they just rescued, but nothing happened. The silver handle slipped from her grip a few times, but she was able to finally get it up to the surface.

Gasping for breath, Anya tossed the sword onto the ice and pulled herself from the water. Shivering at the cold night air blowing at her wet clothes, Anya looked over to see Ron patting the dark haired person on the back to get the water from their lungs. Seeing properly now, she could tell who it was. "Harry!" Anya exclaimed as she slid over to his side. "Are you ok?"

"Anya?" the wizard croaked out through his coughing. Looking over his shoulder, he saw the other teen. "Ron? How did you guys find me?"

"We followed the patronus here," Ron replied. "Wasn't it yours?"

Harry shook his head as Anya grabbed a bunch of thick blankets from her bag nearby, drapping two over Harry's barely covered body before tossing one to Ron and slipping her own around her shoulders. "No!" he gasped out. "My patronus is a stag."

"Oh... yeah, right- antlers," Ron said bashfully, his hands coming up to his head to mimick antlers on his own head.

"Hey! How did you guys find us?" Harry asked suddenly.

"Us? You mean you and Hermione? Where is she?" Anya asked, looking around for the familiar brunette witch.

"She's asleep back at the campsite," Harry repiled while wrapping the blanket tighter aound himself.

"Wait a sec- you mean to tell me that you went off in the forests, late at night and following an unknown patronus, nearly _drowned_, and you didn't even think to tell Hermione?" Anya asked in shock. When the wizard nodded, she began to hit him at any spot she could. "If you hadn't just nearly died, I'd be kicking your ass right now, Harry James Potter! That was the most idiotic thing ever done!" she shouted.

"So hitting me on the head is the answer?" he shot back while he tried to defend himself from the oncoming attack of the American witch. It took Ron three whole minutes before he could pull her off of the other wizard. "Alright, I admit- it wasn't one of my brighter moves."

"You're telling me," Anya mumbled. Another cold gust of wind hit the three friends head on, causing them to shiver even more at the temperature. Tugging her wand out from her sleeve, Anya muttered a quick-dry spell and their clothes and hair became bone-dry once again. She once had a very bad cold after being out in the middle of winter with wet clothes on and the last thing they needed was to get sick now.

,:~:,

"Ron, it's better if you're the one who destroys it," Harry encouraged the redheaded wizard, nodding towards the golden locket that glinted the early morning light. It seemed like he and Anya had been trying for hours to convince their friend to strike the horcrux. "It effected you the most so it only makes sense that you should be the one to get rid of it."

"I don't think that's such a good idea," Ron replied with a quivering voice.

"Harry's right, Ron," Anya said. "If there's anyone who'd be more motivated, it's you."

The way how she said it seemed to strike something in the redhead because after another minute or two of simply staring at the item in question, Ron nodded. Harry wasn't sure what had happened between the two friends during their time apart, but he could easily see that what was once a simple sibling-like friendship had somehow became even stronger as if they really were brother and sister to one another. Although Harry felt somewhat jealous of that kind of connection, he knew what that was like seeing as he and Hermione had formed their own similar bond to each other.

"Alright, on the count of three, I'll open the locket and that's when you strike," Harry instructed as Ron took the sword of Gryffindor and prepared himself, Anya taking a few steps back to stay out of the way. "I don't know what's in there exactly, but I'm sure that it's powerful and will put up a hell of a fight."

And what a fight that was. The second after Harry spoke in Parseltongue, the locket flung open on its own and a powerful burst of dark energy sprang forth, knocking them all to the ground. Swirling black mist erupted from the core of the locket, whispers echoing in the silence of the forest they were in. Voldemort's voice came through the hushed tones and began to try to persuade Ron against destroying the necklace. Suddenly, three figures of swirling grey mist came out of the dark clouds and Harry was faced with red-eyed versions of himself, Hermione, and even Anya.

_"We were better off without you- happier without you,"_ his figure said in a sinister voice. _"You own mother told me that she would have rather had me as her son than you."_

The misty version of the two witches laughed mockingly. _"What woman in her right mind would ever choose someone like the likes of you over the famous Harry Potter?"_ 'Hermione' questioned. _"You are nothing compared to him."_

"Ron, don't listen to them!" the real Anya shouted to her friend. But Ron was too distracted by the illusion in front of him that he didn't hear her plea.

"Ron, kill it!" Harry yelled, only for it to fall on deaf ears too.

_ "Let's face it," _'Anya' smirked with a haunting gleam in her red eyes._ "He's just some pathetic little whiner who's always shoveling food down his throat and does stupid things! Why on earth were we ever friends with this loser?" _she asked her companions who simply shrugged in response. _"God, it makes me _sick_ to think that I willingly let myself be associated with this freak!"_ A fourth misty figure showed up and the three human teens saw a red-eyed Draco Malfoy come up behind the horcrux-Anya, wrapping his arms around her waist. _"He'll never amount to a _real_ wizard. Poor little wizard boy who'll be poor 'til the day he dies. He'll never be worth anything. Not like my Draco," _she crooned before turning to the figure behind her and began to kiss him senseless, much like the other two misty figures were with one another.

Ron seemed angered by the display in front of him. Pushing himself to his feet, he began to run straight at Harry, who was directly behind the mists, the sword of Gryffindor raised in a striking blow. Harry yelled out in fear and shut his eyes tight as Ron burst through the smoke, waiting for the attack that would probably kill him. But when he continued to wait and felt no pain what so ever, he chanced opening one eye. Sitting on the boulder in front of him was the locket, now crushed and bent with scorch marks around as well as inside of the twisted metal.

Ron had destroyed the horcrux after all.

The redhead in question seemed a little shaken up, as though he couldn't believe that he actually just destroyed it, or maybe he was still a little shocked by how powerful the piece of You-Know-Who's soul had been, being able to see its way into Ron's heart and find out his worst fears and insecurities. But despite all that, Ron was able to fight his way past them all and destroy the horcrux once and for all. "And to think, we've only got four more to get rid of," Ron finally spoke up once he dropped to his knees and tossed the sword to the side. "This should be fun."

Anya and Harry couldn't help but chuckle at the joke. "You're telling me," Anya laughed, causing the two wizards to break out in laughter as well. After a good minute's worth of light laughter, the three friends picked themselves up off the ground and began to prepare themselves for the walk back to the campsite.

,:~:,

"Hermione!" Harry called out once they passed through the protective barrier that circled the site, the weather-worn tent appearing as the did so. "Come on out! I've got a surprise!" he grinned, looking back at Anya and Ron.

A sleepy-eyed Hermione came stumbling out of the tent and the first thing Anya noticed was just how bad the separation had affected the brunette: her big brown eyes were still rimmed red from her crying and seemed sunken in from an even more fitful night's worth of sleep. If Anya had known just how badly Hermione would have taken their departure, she would have gone back that very night.

As the last of the sleep was blinked out of Hermione's eyes, she finally could see properly and she saw just exactly what Harry's 'surprise' was. Ron just grinned and let out a sheepish "Hey" while Anya forced herself to not simply rush over to her best friend's side and hug the daylights out of her.

Turns out that it would have been for not.

The first thing Hermione did was march up to Ron and began to have a fit of anger. "You... complete... _ass_, Ronald Weasley!" she shouted, causing birds nearby to fly away in fright. The brunette witch started pushing at the redhead's chest, throwing dead leaves at him, and pushed him again. "You show up here after_ weeks_, and you say 'hey'?" she scoffed, grabbing his backpack from him and began to swing it at him like a little old lady with her purse. The sight was too amusing for Anya to not laugh. BIG mistake! Hermione's big brown eyes zero-ed in on the American as she turned the rage onto her. "And _you_! I thought you were going after him to stop him, not follow him! 'Be back in a minute' you said. That was a bloody long minute!" she yelled while throwing fists full of snow and leaves. Anya sputtered as some hit her in the face, but that didn't stop the other witch. Hermione turned to Harry, who had been too shocked at Hermione's outburst to say anything, and demanded for her wand. Harry was quick and stuffed it into his pocket and backed away.

It was then that Hermione noticed the items in Ron's hands: the destroyed locket of Salazar Slytherin and the glittering silver sword of Godric Gryffindor. She wasn't impressed at that and wasn't about to forgive Anya or Ron anytime soon. She was about to just march back into the tent when Ron spoke up about how he found them.

It was actually a rather interesting story. Of course, Anya had been asleep at the time, so she couldn't verify a single word of it. Hell, for all she knew, it was just Ron's attempt at getting Hermione to forgive him, but it was too bizarre and random for it to have been something that he made off the top of his head. He talked about how he had just been sitting in the lobby of the pub he and Anya had left only hours ago, and while he'd been staring into the fireplace, he'd heard someone call his name. He had looked around but saw no one and suddenly the Deluminator seemed to warm in his pocket. And when he pulled it out and opened it, a small ball of light came popping out and hovered there, whispering his name and his name alone in Hermione's voice before it disappeared into his chest right where his heart was, and that was how he 'knew' where to find them. When Hermione looked back at Anya to see if he was lying, the American witch simply held up her hands in surrender, not taking either side since she didn't know if it was true or not.

In the end, Hermione just gave them both the evil eye before she turned on her heel and marched back to the tent. "Smooth," Anya commented before following after the brunette. She carefully poked her head into the opening and once she didn't see any danger, she walked in and found Hermione over in the kitchen area, furiously scrubbing at a pan in the sink. "Umm... Hermione?" she asked timidly.

The brunette turned to look at her and the next thing Anya knew, she was wrapped up in a monstrous hug. "Thank God you're both alright!" Hermione cried happily, catching Anya completely off guard. "I'm so happy to see you!"

"What?" Anya was shocked when she pulled back. "What the hell was all that then? All the shouting and glaring and leaf throwing?"

Hermione just shrugged. "I'm sorry you got caught up in that, but I only did that to make Ron feel guilty," she replied.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AC: That was priceless! Way too funny! Hermione, you were badass!<strong>_

_**HG: *blushes* I wouldn't say that...**_

_**MMM: You were probably gonna hex Ron into the next millennium if Harry gave your wand back, so yeah- badass works.**_

_**RW: Why me? Didn't Anya deserve it too?**_

_**MMM: Who's the one who went running off in a hissy fit? You Ron, not Anya. She simply went after you to try and calm you down. **_**You_ are the one who apparated away- Anya was simply whisked off._**

**_AC: She's right... I was innocent in all this._**

**_RW: Alright... Fine._**

**_MMM: OK, well, that's it for today! Don't forget to review!_**

**_Nancy (aka megamatchmaker)_**


	85. Year 7 Ch10

_**MMM: Hey guys! It's that time again! I'd like to give another little shout-out to Loki'sLittleEnchantress, whose delightful PMs have been helpful in boosting my confidence so that I can finish this story. Couldn't do it without you!**_

* * *

><p><strong>Ch. 85 Tale of the Deathly Hallows<strong>

After a couple of days of watching Ron walk on eggshells around Hermione, things felt like they were starting to go back to normal. Hermione had already forgiven Anya and they were already back to trying to figure out what was the next horcrux and where it could be. Unfortunately, things weren't really getting anywhere.

Anya sighed as she finished cleaning up the last of the dishes. Turning around to lean back against the countertop, Anya saw Hermione sitting at the table, once again pouring her way through the worn-out copy of _The Tales of Beedle the Bard._ Hermione had been staring at the exact same page for the last three minutes, her eyes fixed on a strange symbol up in the corner: a triangle with a smaller circle in its center with a line splitting the image in two symmetric shapes.

"Hermione, if you've got some kind of idea, would you mind sharing with the rest of the class?" Anya sighed. Not hearing a response from her friend, she let out a huff and pulled up a chair beside her. "Look, I know I haven't been around these past couple of weeks, but I'd like to get back in the loop here."

Hermione looked up from the book just as Anya unleashed her puppy-dog stare and she crumbled. Letting out a sigh, she carefully pushed the book to the side and looked her in the eye. "Alright... This symbol," she began while pointing to the tiny figure on the page, "has been popping up everywhere. Back at Godric's Hollow, it was engraved on a tombstone not far off from the spot where Harry's parents are buried. In this book, someone wrote it onto the cover page after it was printed. You see how the ink is slightly smugged onto the other sheet as if it had been closed before the ink had time to dry? And Harry's been seeing it in his dreams for the last several weeks. Apparently it has something to do Gregorovitch."

"Yeah, I heard," Anya said. "He was kind of like another You-Know-Who: evil wizard wanting to destroy people with muggle blood, defeated by Dumbledore... But what is it exactly?" she questioned as she turned the book right side up to look at it. "Is it a calling card- Gregorovitch's version of a Dark Mark? 'Cause all it looks like to me is something a person would scribble onto the cover of their notebook when they got bored in class." It really didn't look like much, but then again, she was on the run while searching for pieces of a dark wizard's soul disguised as everyday items. Who was she to judge? She remembered seeing it herself once, but she couldn't remember where.

"I don't know," Hermione sighed in frustration. She sat back into her chair and dropped her hands onto the wooden surface, her wand clutched in her fingers.

That's when it clicked. Gregorovitch- the wandmaker! She had heard Harry talk about him at Bill and Fleur's wedding! And the symbol- Xenophilius Lovegood, Luna's father, had been wearing it around his neck that night. If there was a chance that anyone knew what this symbol was, it would be him. She told Hermione her idea and she could see the wheels turning in the brunette's eyes as she thought up her own plan.

A sudden yelp of fear from the other room caught the witches' attentions. When Hermione called out to see what was wrong, the boys quickly replied with "nothing". Anya rolled her violet eyes before she picked up the book. "Come on, let's go see what they're up to," she said before heading to the sleeping area with Hermione at her side. Looking into the room, she saw Harry and Ron huddled on one of the beds in front of one of Hermione's magic flames in a jar. Anya chanced a look up and saw a singed hole in the roof.

Anya had to admit that it was interesting to hear Ron when he started to agree with 'Hermione's' plan to go to the Lovegood house right away. She had to stiffle her laugh as a cough when he raised his hand to 'vote' and ended up lowering it sheepishly when he saw the unimpressed Hermione was sporting. But it was a good idea considering that they were only about a few hours walk from the place. So the Golden Quartet quickly gathered their things, packed up and began the hike.

"How long do you plan to stay mad at Ron?" Anya asked the other witch quietly as they walked on ahead of the boys.

"I'm always mad at him," she replied.

,:~:,

The Lovegood property was just as unusual as the people who lived there. The house itself was shaped like a giant chess rook piece made of dirty grey rock, a zigzag path leading up to the front door from the broken down gate that circled the perimeter. Attached the rusty door of the gate were three hand-painted signs: one read _'The Quibbler, Editor X. Lovegood'_, promoting the strange magazine Luna was always reading, the second _'Pick Your Own Mistletoe'_, and the last _'KEEP OFF THE DIRIGIBLE PLUMS!'. _Anya looked at the bush by the door and saw the yellow-ish floating fruit Luna made earrings out of.

"Well... this is the place," Hermione stated as they got closer to the front door. Taking a deep breath, the brunette reached up and tapped the eagle-shaped knocker against the black wooden door. It barely took six seconds before the door swung open wide, causing the four friends to jump back in shock.

Mr. Lovegood looked like a wreck. His long white hair was dirty and unkept, swinging into his tired eyes though he made no attempt to push it back. Anya thought that they may have woken the man up because he 'greeted' them at the door dressed in nothing but a stained male nightgown and brightly colored housecoat. He demanded who they were and what they wanted, his eyes sweeping over each of their faces one at a time. When they landed on Harry, they grew wide with shock and his jaw dropped.

"Hello sir, I'm Harry- Harry Potter," Harry introduced himself to the stunned man. "Would it be alright if we came in? We need to speak with you."

Mr. Lovegood snapped out of his shocked stupor and quickly ushered them inside. The inside of the house was as equally odd as the outside, all the items inside shaped to fit against the circular walls and decorated in bright colors, flowers, and insect patterns. It was clear that Luna had been responsible for the interior design. Mr. Lovegood led the four friends upstairs to what they guessed was his 'work area': a room in a complete mess with many papers and books towered high in every part of the room.

Mr. Lovegood disappeared downstairs for a couple of minutes before he returned with a tray of tea and biscuits. Not wanting to be rude, Anya accepted her cup but when she took a sip of the liquid, she nearly spat it back out. It was horrible! Hoping to get the taste out of her mouth, she snatched up a cookie and took a bite. It was stale and tasted odd, but it was better than nothing.

"Now... what may I do for you, Mr. Potter?" the older wizard asked calmly after a moment of odd silence. "Luna isn't here right now- playing down by the stream, fishing for Freshwater Plimpies, bless her heart..." He seemed almost sad at mentioning his daughter's name which seemed odd to Anya. Why would a man be sad when his daughter was just down the road?

"Well, actually... it's about the symbol you were wearing the night of Bill and Fleur's wedding," Harry began. Mr. Lovegood pulled at a chain around his neck and the pendant appeared from underneath his collar. "Yes, exactly. Well, the thing was... we were wondering what exactly it is."

"Well, it's the sign of the Deathly Hallows," Mr. Lovegood replied as if it were obvious. When he looked around at the younger faces before him and saw nothing but confused looks, he didn't seem surprised that they didn't know what they were talking about. "I'm not surprised you don't know- not many people believe it to begin with... I take it that you're all familiar with the _Tale of the Three Brothers_." Harry and Anya both shook their heads.

"I've got a copy here," Hermione announced while digging through her bag. Anya could hear the sound of books being shuffled around until Hermione pulled out the _Tales of Beetle the Bard_.

"'There were once three brothers who were travelling along a lonely, winding road at twilight,'" the brunette began to read, but she was cut off by Ron.

"Midnight... Mum always told us 'at midnight'," the redhead said. Looking at the annoyed look on everyone's faces, he was quick to try to please Hermione. "But twilight is good- better even."

Anya shook her head before turning to the other witch. "Go ahead, Hermione."

"'In time, the brothers reached a river too deep to wade through and too dangerous to swim across. However, these brothers were learned in the magical arts, and so they simply waved their wands and made a bridge. But before they could cross, they found their path blocked by a hooded figure. And Death spoke to them-'"

"Hang on- _Death_ spoke to them?" Harry interrupted.

"It's suppose to be a fairy tale, Harry," Anya told him before motioning to Hermione to continue.

'And Death spoke to them. He was angry that he had been cheated of three new vicitms, for travellers would normally drown in the river. But Death was cunning. He pretended to congratulate the three brothers upon their magic, and said that each had earned a prize for having been clever enough to evade him.

'The oldest brother, a combative man, asked for a wand more powerful than any in existence: a wand that must always win duels for its owner, a wand worthy of a wizard who had concured Death! So Death crossed to an elder tree on the banks of the river, and fashioned a wand from a branch that hung there for the oldest brother.

'The second brother, an arrogant man, decided that he wanted to humiliate Death even further, and asked for the power to recall loved ones from the dead. So Death picked up a stone from the riverbank and gave it to the second brother, and told him that the stone would have the power to call those back from the dead.

'And then Death turned to the third and youngest brother. A humble man, he asked for something that would allow him to go forth from that place without being followed by Death. And so Death unwillingly handed over his own Cloak of Invisibility. In due course, the brothers separated, each for his own destination.

'The first brother travelled to village, and there, killed another wizard with whom he had once quarrelled. Drunk on the power the elder wand gave, he bragged of his invincibility. That night, another wizard crept into his chambers and stole the wand, slitting the brother's throat for good measure. And so Death took the first brother.

'Meanwhile, the second brother journeyed to his own home where he lived alone. Here, he took the stone and turned it thrice in his hand. To his amazement and delight, the figure of the girl he had once hoped to marry before her untimely death appeared before him. Yet she was sad and cold, for she had returned to the mortal world where she did not truly belong and began to suffer. Driven mad by hopeless longing, he hung himself so as to truly join her. And so Death took the second brother.

'As for the third brother, Death searched for many years, but was never able to find him. It was only once he had attained a great age that the youngest brother finally took off the Cloak of Invisibility and gave it to his son. And then he greeted Death as an old friend, and went with him gladly, and as equals, departed this life,'" Hermione finished the story.

,:~:,

"And there you have it," Mr. Lovegood sighed, speaking up for the first time in minutes. Anya had almost forgotten that he was there.

"It still doesn't explain anything," Harry said.

Mr. Lovegood began to mutter to himself before he stood up and hurried over to a pile of papers. Grabbing one along with a pen, he hurried back to their little circle and crouched onto the coffee table. He then began to draw a straight black line. "The Elder Wand," the older wizard told them. The next thing he drew was a circle around the bottom half of the line. "The Ressurection Stone." And lastly, he drew a triangle that encompassed the other two items. "The Cloak of Invisibility. Together, these three Hallows make the possessor a true master of death."

"That same mark was on a gravestone in Godric's Hollow," Hermione mentioned. "Mr. Lovegood, does the Peverell family have anything to do with the Deathy Hallows?" she asked the older wizard.

But Mr. Lovegood didn't seem to be paying any attention. His wide eyes kept glancing out the window before he picked himself up and began to rummage around the place, not really looking for anything but trying to look like he was. "Umm... many believe... that the _Tale of the Three Brothers _was based on the three brothers from the Perevell family. Oh... dear!" He picked up the teapot. "Your tea's gone cold. I'll just go and make a fresh pot. Please! Make yourselves comfortable! Luna will probably be back any moment." And with that, he hurried down the stairs.

It was then that something caught Anya's eye: a faint glittering at the top of the stairs leading to the next floor. Giving Harry a slight nudge in his side, she nodded her head in the direction of the stairs before getting up and hurrying up them, ignoring the protests from Hermione.

The next floor was the bedrooms and the closest one was Luna's. The room was decorated with perfectly painted portraits of Harry, Ron, Hermione, Anya, Neville, and Ginny, each of them still muggle art, but had a magical air of their own. A thin golden line circled each portrait, linking them together, and after a close look, Anya and Harry saw that it was the word 'friends' written over and over in gold ink. Anya felt her heart swell with happiness.

But something suddenly felt off. Anya looked around and it seemed a little odd. The entire room was covered in a layer of dust, which didn't make sense if Luna had came home for the holidays. It looked like the place hadn't even been touched since the beginning of the school-

Anya's eyes grew wide as the truth hit her head-on like a train. Looking back at Harry, she saw that he had come to the same conclusion as she had. Hurrying back down the stairs, they grabbed their bags before continuing back down to the first floor, a nervous Hermione and Ron in their wake. Not wanting to alert the older wizard in the kitchen that they had figured out what was going on, Anya calmly spoke up. "Umm... Mr. Lovegood?" The man jumped in surprise and turned to look at them. "We appreciate all you've done for us, but we really should get going now."

"No!" Mr. Lovegood shouted, causing the Golden Quartet to jump. Rushing over to the front door, the older wizard locked the door and leaned against it, his shoulders trembling as he forced the tears back. Looking back at them, Anya could see the self-hatred and sadness in his eyes. "They didn't care for what I'd been writing. They were angry with me... So they took her- they took my Luna," he whimpered. Anya didn't like where this was going. "I don't know what they could be doing to her, but I thought they might give her back to me if I..." his voice trailed off. Limping back to them, he grabbed Harry's head and pushed his hair back to show the scar on his forehead.

Harry carefully reached up and removed the older wizard's hand. "Who took her, sir?" he asked, though they all already knew who it was.

"Voldemort," Mr. Lovegood whispered.

Things became a complete chaos at that second. Spells were being fired at the house from every angle, some blasting through the windows. Glass shattered, furniture blew to pieces, and some things even caught on fire. Anya and the others ducked and dropped to the ground to avoid being hit by a spell. They could hear Mr. Lovegood by the door, shouting at the Death Eaters that he had Harry and they didn't need to destroy his home, but that didn't stop them. Crawling through the debri on the ground, the four friends grabbed hands and apparated the hell out of there.

,:~:,

"That bloody little weasel!" Ron growled once they landed back at one of their old campsites. "Is there no one we can trust anymore?"

Anya brushed at her clothes. "They have his daughter, Ron. It was all he could think of to protect her," she reasoned. "What else could he have done?"

The redhead was still angry, but he knew she was right. "I'll get started on the spells," he told the others. But as he turned around, he skidded to a stop. Wondering what was going on, they all turned to see what was the problem, and Anya felt her blood run cold.

Because standing right in front of them was the same group of Snatchers Anya and Ron had encountered only a week ago. "Lose something, darlin'?" the leader asked, holding up the scarf Hermione had tied around one of the trees. Anya and the others turned on their heels and ran as fast as they could in the opposite direction. "Well, don't just stand there! Snatch 'em!" Anya could hear him shout to his comrades.

"Split up!" Harry shouted and the four friends started running in different directions in hopes of losing the snatchers that were hot on their trails.

Anya ducked just in time as a length of chain was flung her way, wrapping around the base of a tree instead of around her legs. She jumped down a slope, using the netting of tree roots and branches overhead as a shield from the spells being fired at her. She could barely make out the thumping sound of heavy boots on the wood over the sound of her rapidly beating heart in her ears. One of the snatchers jumped through a gap in the roots right in front of her, but he wasn't quick enough to catch her before Anya stunned him with a jinx and vaulted over his still form. She began to curse herself for pushing her body too hard so fast because she could already feel herself beginning to slow down as fatigue and ache spread through her limbs. Anya took a chance at looking over her shoulder only to end up tripping over a tree root, the rocky ground scraping at her palms as she tried to cushion the blow. As she was about to push herself up again, someone grabbed the back of her jacket and hauled her to her feet with a painful grip.

"Hello deary," the snatcher grinned a toothless smirk at her, laughing at how she struggled to get him off her. The laughter turned into a shout of pain when she send a swift kick up in between his legs and he let go of Anya long enough for her to take off running again. But she hardly got five feet away before one of his comrades caught her instead from behind, his big beefy arms pinning hers to her sides. "Hey! That one's mine," 'Toothless' shouted.

"The whole lot of them are goin' to the Ministry anyhow," 'Muscles' replied. "Even if they aren't mudbloods." Toothless seemed unhappy but he still followed the other's orders and took Anya's wand from her wrist.

Anya continued to struggle as the larger one carried her to where the other snatchers were all waiting. Looking around, she could see Ron on the ground wrapped tightly in the chains from earlier. Hermione was in front of the leader of the group, her face passive and emotionless. As for Harry... well, Anya wasn't sure. There wasn't any blood that Anya could see, but his face was oddly de-formed, one eye almost completely hooded by the brow and the skin sort of...swollen- like he had a seriously bad reaction to a bee sting.

_'Or ran into a stinging jinx,'_ Anya thought to herself. _'Hermione must have cast it when she realized we were caught. You can hardly even make out Harry's scar!'_

"What took you two so long?" the leader asked the last two arrivals while he pushed Hermione to the floor with the others.

"She's tricky, this one," 'Muscles' replied. "Slipped right out of 'is 'ands and nearly ran off again."

The leader rolled his eyes before walking up to stand in front of Anya. "And what might your name be, lovely?" he asked, pushing back a lock of her auburn hair.

Anya tried to remain calm but inside, she was trembling with fear. "Lydia McHart," she said with an Irish accent. "What's it to ya?" He said nothing but nodded towards one of his fellow wizards who began thumbing through a tiny red book. "Hey! I believe I asked ya a question, mate. What's it to ya?"

"There's no Lydia McHart on here, either," 'Bookworm' announced. Anya guessed that the others had given false names too and that book was probably a list of names of muggleborns.

"You know what? Change of plans! We're not taking this lot to the Ministry. I've got a better plan," the leader announced. Nodding back to some of the others, he pointing to the three younger people on the floor. "Grab 'em and let's go!"

Anya felt herself being sucked through a straw as they apparated out of the clearing in the woods to God only knew where. When they finally landed, the snatcher holding onto her began pushing her forward to their new location. Looking up, Anya felt what little color she had left in her face drain away.

They had arrived at Malfoy Manor.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AC: Holy shit! We're at Malfoy Manor!? That is NOT a good thing!<strong>_

_**MMM: Well... No, you're right- it's not a good thing. But at least we'll see Draco again!**_

_**DM: Did someone call me?**_

_**AC: ... Should I be happy or angry to see him... I don't really know...**_

_**MMM: It depends on how you want to look at it.**_

_**HP: But Malfoy's a Death Eater! And he knows us! He'll hand us over in an instant to save his own arse!**_

_**DM: What did you just say Potter? *glares at Chosen One***_

_**HP: *glares back at Draco***_

_**AC: Guys!**_

_**MMM: Enough! You'll find out what happens in the next chapter. Until then... Don't forget to read and review!**_

_**Nancy (aka megamatchmaker)**_


	86. Year 7 Ch11

**Ch. 86 Return to Malfoy Manor**

Anya remembered being here like it was yesterday. How could any girl forget being in a place where people hated who and what she was, had been physically assaulted, and was home to the ex-boyfriend who had betrayed her? In the darkness of the night, the large manor seemed even more dreary and sinister-looking than it had several months ago.

"Come on then!" the wizard behind her sneered as he gave her another shove forward, the tip of his wand digging painfully in between her shoulderblades. Anya gritted her teeth and allowed him to push her around since she was defenseless with her wand now in his grasp. So she followed the rest of the group up the pathway.

As they got closer to the iron gates, Anya could see someone on the other side. It was impossible to make out anything in the moonless, cloudy sky and the only source of light was from the mansion far up ahead. Being at the back of the group, Anya couldn't hear properly what the person was saying to the head snatcher. Then suddenly, a light appeared and Anya saw Bellatrix Lestrange's face through the bars.

Bellatrix took a look at the four young faces before her and when her eyes landed on Harry's forehead, she seemed almost excited, causing Anya's heartbeat to double in tempo. Even Anya couldn't make out a single resemblance of her friend's natural features in his current state, let alone his scar, and she knew it was him. So how did Bellatrix know? But then again, this woman was a total nut-job: she'd probably see Harry Potter's face in her own father's and torture him just for the fun of it.

"Get Draco..." Anya heard Bellatrix say.

All the air in Anya's lungs just disappeared in that second, and for two reasons. The first was that familiar heart-fluttering, palm-sweating, knee-knocking feeling she'd always get whenever someone mentioned her ex. No matter how bad the relationship ended, every girl on the face of the planet would get all starry-eyed at the mention of her first serious boyfriend, and Anya was no exception to that rule. But along with the hopeless longing of a lost love came fear. If Draco was home, then they were screwed. All he'd have to do is take one look at either her, Ron, or Hermione, and he'd know exactly who the fourth member of their little group was and blow their cover. And why wouldn't he? Draco Malfoy was a Death Eater- he betrayed Anya and Dumbledore and probably every person he's ever met. So what was so different now that he would actually keep his mouth shut? The answer- nothing.

A violent shove brought Anya bak to the present An automatic reaction, Anya threw her elbow back as hard as she could, catching her captor in the gut and knocking the wind right out of him. A pair of hands roughly grabbed at her wrists from behind and pulled them at a painful position behind her back, a thick length of rope coming to entwine tightly around them to keep her arms immobile. Then Anya found herself flung over the big lug's shoulder and carried up towards the house.

,:~:,

Bellatrix shoved Harry to the ground in front of the fireplace. Turning to the snatchers, she barked, "What are you waiting for? Go get him!" The scrawny one back-pedalled and nearly ran out the door.

Out of the corner of his good eye, Harry could see Ron, Hermione, and Anya being held hostage. Like him, they were a little beaten up, but nothing serious. He watched as the dark wizards in the room took their bags and began to rummage through them, pulling off the protection rings each of them wore at the same time- Harry's having been lost back in the woods earlier. "Hey! You give them back!" Anya demanded. The wizard that carried her in just scoffed at Anya and continued searching through the bag. When he pulled the sword of Gryffindor from the tiny bag, he looked at it curiously before shrugging and attaching it to his belt.

The doors opened and the scrawny snatcher came hurrying into the room with none other than Draco Malfoy behind him. "Come here, dear," Bellatrix cooed to the boy. "We need your help."

"What for, Aunt Bellatrix?" the blonde asked, catching Harry by surprise. He never knew that Malfoy was related to the woman who killed Sirius. Chancing a look at the others, he saw that Ron and Hermione were equally surprised. Anya on the other hand, seemed more hurt than surprised. Then again, he understood in a way: seeing the bloke who she had once had a serious relationship with now as a Death Eater couldn't have been easy to witness.

"We need you to tell us if this is the Undesirable one," Bellatrix replied to her nephew, waving to where Harry was. "If we call the Dark Lord and this is not who he is looking for, He'll kill us all. We have to be absolutely certain." She motioned for Malfoy to step closer. And just before he did, Mr. Malfoy and a woman Harry suspected to be Draco's mother came into the parlor. The two older blondes looked around the room and when they spotted Anya, their eyes grew wide, Mr. Malfoy in what could only be described as pure loathing and Mrs. Malfoy in what almost seemed like motherly concern. When the wizard went to speak, his wife layed her hand against his arm and he remained silent. It didn't escape Harry's notice how Anya reacted: fearful, relieved and grateful.

"What's the matter with his face?" Draco asked, bringing the attention back to him and Harry.

"Was like that when we caught 'em. Figured he picked it up in the forest," the head snatcher announced.

"Or ran into a stinging jinx," Bellatrix commented. "Was it you deary?" she asked, pointing her wand at Hermione. Hary noticed Draco look over his shoulder at the others and he saw something crack through that cold stare when Draco saw Anya standing there: fear. It was fear for Anya's life, there was no mistaking that look. Harry saw it in the mirror everyday when he thought of what his friends were risking for him. Perhaps there was something there after all.

Bellatrix laughed at something she must have thought was funny. But when she went to turn back, she gasped. Following her gaze, Harry and the others saw her staring at the sword of Gryffindor. Looking towards the snatcher in possession of it, she glared. "Where did you get that?" she demanded.

The large wizard nodded his head in Anya's direction. "Had it in her bag, that one did. Figured it's mine now," he grinned.

No one in the room expected the reaction that came next. A thick black whip errupted from the end of Bellatrix's wand and wrapped around the hilt of the sword. Giving it a hard yank, she pulled it clean from his belt and it landed in her awaiting hand. Then Bellatrix snapped the whip at his leg and swept his feet out from underneath him. When one of the other snatchers went to defend his comrade, she snapped the whip again, this time around the other's throat. The dark wizard struggled to breathe as she walked around him and tugged harshly on the whip like one would to make a rabid dog obedient. When his face started to turn purple, she released him.

"Go! Get out!" Bellatrix shouted. The other snatchers didn't wait around for her to say it again- they ran out the door as if the hounds of hell were snapping at their heels. She grabbed Harry by the collar of his shirt and hauled him to his feet. "Cissy, take these three to the cellar!" she ordered to Mrs. Malfoy and her husband, pushing Harry, Ron, and Hermione towards them. "I want to have a little chat with this one!" she added, pushing Anya up against the wall behind her. "Girl to girl!"

Harry had to admit that even he would be terrified by the psychotic witch before him. But of course, the American witch surprised him. Anya simply gave the older witch a cocky smirk. "Is it gonna be about fashion?" she asked in her Irish accent. "If so, then great- I've always wanted to learn the crazy skank look. Tell me- do you use a brush to get your hair lookin' like that or a blender?" she mocked.

"You won't be laughing for long, sweetheart," Bellatrix threatened.

"I'd recommend saying goodbye to your little friend," a voice said from behind Harry and the others. Looking over his shoulder, he saw none other than Peter Pettigrew, the betrayer of Harry's parents, grabbing Ron's arm. "It'll probably be the last you'll ever see of her alive," he squeaked.

"Hurt her and I'll kill you myself!" Ron barked.

Pettigrew and Mrs. Malfoy ignored their struggling and brought the three teens down to the cellar, locking the door behind them once they threw Harry, Ron, and Hermione in.

"God, what are we going to do?" Hermione worried.

,:~:,

Draco was too frozen with shock to say or do anything. Since the night when he left Hogwarts after watching its headmaster's murder, Draco had been praying to every God he could think of that they would protect Anya if nothing else. And here she was right in the middle of it all, and there was nothing he could do. If he even so much as thought of trying to help her, his deranged aunt would know in an instant who this was and Anya's fate would be sealed... if it wasn't already.

That's why he hadn't said anything earlier. The second he looked into the dark haired wizard's eyes, he knew that it was Potter. He knew that if he said it was the 'Undesirable One', he'd be considered as a hero among the Death Eaters. But he didn't. He wanted the Dark Lord to be defeated, he wanted for this all to end right. Seeing Anya there only made it that easier to say nothing... But now, his actions may cost him the one thing that meant anything to him in this damn world.

"Now, where did you get that sword?" Bellatrix questioned the American witch. When she received no response, she slapped Anya hard across the face. If it weren't for his mother holding him back, Draco was sure he would have rushed over there and pulled Bellatrix away from his love. "I asked you a question- where did you get that sword?!" Bellatrix barked.

Anya slowly turned her head so that she was staring straight again. "I found it in a little shop over in London," she replied cooly. "Thought it would make a great letter opener."

Bellatrix glared at the younger witch. "I don't like playing games, now tell me the truth- you took it from my vault, didn't you?" she demanded.

Anya sighed. "I have no idea what you're talking about, deary. Like I said, I found it in a little antiques shop in London," she replied.

It took both of his parents to restrain Draco after what happened next.

Seeing that she'd have to force the answer from the younger witch, Bellatrix stepped back and cast a spell that caused Anya to fly halfway across the room and crash into a portrait on the wall, glass shattering and cutting at Anya's skin. Then Bellatrix flung her back and the auburn haired girl landed in a heap on the floor at Bellatrix's feet. "Care to try again?" she asked. Anya looked up and Draco could see blood dripping from several cuts along her beautiful face. The American simply pulled a strange face before she spat out a mouthful of blood at Bellatrix's shoe. This caused the deranged witch to fly into a fury. Draco's shout of protests was drowned out by the tortured screams that escaped Anya's lips when Bellatrix used the Cruciatus curse on her. "Now how did you get into my vault?!" Bellatrix shouted once she stopped.

"I told you- I never went anywhere near your vault!" Anya began to cry as the severity of the moment finally entered her mind. "I swear, I didn't!"

But Bellatrix didn't believe her. Instead, she used another spell and Anya was forced back and landed on a glass table, causing it to shatter under the sudden force that hit it. Draco was terrified for Anya's life and he couldn't do anything if he wanted her to live.

Bellatrix sauntered up to the broken form that layed in a small pool of blood and glass and Draco saw her pull something from her belt before she kneeled down to where she was almost on top of Anya. "Now I know you were in my vault and you know you were in my vault. That sword had been hanging in there for months now," she began after turning Anya onto her back so that she could stare her in the eye. "So I'll just ask this once... what else did you and your little friends take from my vault?!" she shouted.

Anya sniffled. "I promise, I haven't taken anything... please..." she whimpered through her pain. Draco's heart ached to reach out to Anya, pull her into his arms, and never let anyone ever get to her again. Never in his life had he ever seen Anya this broken and frightened.

"I don't believe you," the deranged witch replied to the pleas. Then she leaned over to the arm that was farthest from her and hid whatever she was doing with her back. But the blood-curtling screams that came from Anya couldn't be blocked no matter what. Each shout of pain, each plea for it to stop cut at Draco's heart a little deeper than the last until it became too much for him to hear and his mother had to almost carry him out the door.

"Mother... stop! I can't let this continue!" he cried out when the door closed over, desperately attempting to claw his way out of his mother's arms and back to the room where the love of his life was being tortured. But no matter how hard he struggled, Narcissa refused to let go. "Mother!"

"Draco, darling, I know this is hard for you, but I can't let you do it. If my sister finds out about you and Anya, she won't hesitate in killing you both," the older witch explained.

Draco growled and pushed his mother hard enough that she let go. "Then let her! I don't care! Anya needs me and I'll be damned if I just stand around and do nothing about it anymore!" he shouted. Ignoring the look his mother gave him, Draco marched his way into the parlor and most likely his own death.

What he saw would forever haunt him.

Draco knew that Anya was tough, that was never questioned. In the last several years, that American witch had gone through so much: being petrified, falling over dead bodies, near-death experiences... And yet even after all that, she somehow came out on the other side just as tough as before. But no matter how hard she tried, there would always be one thing that made her stand out in the crowd and have people hate her for it- being a muggleborn. And now, it would mock her for possibly the rest of her life.

Because the item Bellatrix had taken out earlier had been a knife and she had used it it cut the word 'MUDBLOOD' into the skin of Anya's left forearm.

A sudden noise from the other door that led to the cellars opened and Draco turned to see Pettigrew scurry into the room with the Gringotts goblin he'd captured three days ago.

Bellatrix looked up from her little 'project' and gave a wicked smile. "Ah, good- you found him. Bring him here!" she yelled as she picked herself up and walked over to where they were. Once Bellatrix was close enough, Pettigrew handed over the goblin before scurrying back the way he came.

The second she left, Draco sprinted over to Anya's side and knelt down. Violet eyes clouded with pain and sorrow forced themselves open and looked up at him. Draco's heartache multiplied with each cut and bruise he found- he couldn't even dare glance at her arm without fearing he'd vomit. Gently stroking the top of her head, he felt tears come to his eyes at the whimper she let out. "I'm so, _so_ sorry," he whispered to her. Anya's eyes flashed with more pain before she clenched them shut to try and block it all out. Draco pulled out a cloth from his pocket and dabbed at the tears that slowly leaked from her eyes before pressing it against the cuts in her arm to try and stop the worst of the blood.

"Liar!" a sudden shout caught Draco's attention and he looked up just as Bellatrix flung her arm out, catching the goblin on the cheek with the tip of the dagger she just used on Anya. A streak of red formed on the creature's stone-like face but he remained motionless. "Consider yourself lucky, _goblin_," she huffed before standing straight again. "That same can't be said for that one," she said while she nodded her head back to where Anya was, forcing Draco to step away, no matter how hard it was for him. He watched as she walked back to the American on the floor, the dagger and wand in her hands raised to continue what she'd been doing.

"_Expelliarmus!_" a sudden cry shouted and Bellatrix's wand went flying. Looking back at the cellar door, Draco never felt so relieved to see Potter, Weasley, or Granger in his life. He didn't know how they escaped or how they got past Pettigrew, and to be honest, he didn't care. He was just glad that they were here.

Potter caught the wand in mid-air and when he looked around the room and saw Anya laying in a crumpled heap in the ground, his eyes flashed with fury. Looking up, he saw Draco standing closest to her and there was no mistaking the loathing that he was sporting for the blonde, not that Draco blamed him- seeing your best friend's ex-boyfriend just standing around while she was being hurt wasn't a good thing. Draco barely had time to lift his arm in defense before Potter threw a blast at him.

In the flurry of the fight that broke out, Draco couldn't keep his eye on Anya and fight her angry friends at the same time, so he just focused his attention on them and fought alongside his mother and father. It wasn't until Bellatrix shouted "Stop!" that it all went deadly silent. With his back turned to her, Draco couldn't tell what his aunt was doing but by the look on his fellow teens' faces, it had to do something with Anya. Glancing over his shoulder, Draco saw that his assumption was correct: Bellatrix was holding Anya up on her feet in front of her, using the younger witch as a human shield while holding the dagger at her throat.

"Drop your wands," Bellatrix demanded. When the other members of the Golden Quartet didn't react right away, she dug the edge of the blade deeper into Anya's skin. "I said drop them!" she barked. When Anya let out a tiny whimper of pain, her friends quickly did as they were told. "Pick them up, Draco," Bellatrix said to the young Malfoy who could only do as he was told in fear of Anya's safety.

"Well, well, well... Look what we have here," Bellatrix smirked while she walked Anya forward. "It's Harry Potter," she annouced as the last of the stinging jinx faded, returning Potter's face to what it normally was. "All bright and shiny and new- just in time for the Dark Lord's arrival," she stage-whispered into the American witch's ear, who simply whimpered again. Turning her head back to Draco, she smiled. "Call Him," she said. But Draco shook his head. There was no way in bloody hell that he'd call You-Know-Who here while Anya was still here. "Call Him!" Bellatrix barked but again, Draco refused.

Lucius scoffed at his son's actions before he began to roll up the many layers that covered his forearm where the Dark Mark was. The older wizard made a show of what he was doing when the skin was bared, slowly inching his hand down to touch the black ink to prolong the agony the other teens were in. But just as he was about to touch the Mark, he stopped.

That's when Draco heard it: squeaking. The sound echoed in the spacious room but looking around, Draco couldn't see the source. A particularly loud squeak along with movement from overhead caught his attention and he looked up to see something hidden behind the large chandeliere that hung overhead. All of the sudden, the crystal and ironning let go and began to plummet to the ground... directly where Bellatrix was standing with Anya prisoner.

Bellatrix screeched as she pushed her victim away while flinging herself back. Draco dodged to the side to avoid being hit by the shattered crystal that flew in every direction. The young blonde watched as Weasley dived to catch an unconcious Anya in time before she hit the ground and pulled her back so that she was back with her friends, Granger pulling the goblin towards them. A tugging in his hand brought his attention to Potter who wrestled all the wands from him, including his own, before rushing back to the others. Lucius tried to summon You-Know-Who again, but Potter stunned him before he could. Following the dark haired wizard with his eyes, he saw Dobby, the young house-elf who had been Draco's friend during his childhood, standing in front of them.

"You stupid elf! You could have killed me!" Bellatrix shouted as she picked herself up.

"Dobby never meant to kill!" the house-elf squeaked. "Dobby only meant to maim or seriously injure!" When Narcissa went to cast a spell, Dobby snapped his fingers and the witch's wand flew from her hand into his own.

"How dare you take a witch's wand! How _dare_ you defy your _masters_!" Bellatrix's voice cried out in outrage at Dobby's actions.

The young house-elf stood straighter, puffing out his tiny chest and his bright green eyes shining with self-honor. "Dobby has no master. Dobby is a free elf! And Dobby has come to save Harry Potter and his friends!" he said with pride. And with that, he hurried backwards to the four teens and goblin and used elf magic to apparate out of there. It didn't escape Draco's notice that Bellatrix flung her dagger at them as they disappeared.

Draco's heart stopped when he saw that it was gone too.


	87. Year 7 Ch12

_**MMM: Hey everyone! Sorry about the delay on the updates 'til last week. I posted ch. 85 just before I went on a lil' family vacation and when I got back, there were some new problems with my laptop so I had to bring that back to my friend to get it fixed which took about a week. And the week before last, I was going to update but I got really depressed when I heard Robin Williams was dead. I didn't know him personally, but I watched so many of his movies when I was younger that it was almost like I did know him. Does that make sense? Anyway, I spent that entire week watching his movies again (Aladdin especially) and with what was written in ch. 86, I just didn't think it was appropriate timing.**_

_**AC: We understand, Nancy.**_

_**MMM: Shouldn't you still be unconcious?**_

_**AC: Oh, right! *faints again***_

_**MMM: So here's this week's new chapter. I'd like to dedicate this to Robin Williams, a man who made our day by bringing a smile to our faces when we needed it the most. Also, to his family, who have been hearing a lot of shit about him from people on Facebook and Twitter and any other site like that. And to those people who have been bad-mouthing the late comedian, I say this- GO TO HELL!**_

* * *

><p><strong>Ch. 87 Shell Cottage<strong>

Anya was sure that she was dead: there was no possible way that the kind of pain she remembered feeling could just vanish as if it never existed, was there? But if she wasn't dead, then where was she? If she was still at Malfoy Manor, then it wouldn't be long until she was dead.

Forcing her eyes open, Anya didn't see any pearly-white gates to heaven with St. Peter standing there or the dark hallways of Malfoy Manor with Bellatrix standing there. Instead, she saw wooden paneling glowing several shades of pinks and blues and greens as the sunlight shone through the stain-glassed window. She didn't know where she was, but it sure felt safe here, far safer than she'd felt in the last several months.

"Anya?" a voice carefully spoke up. Turning her head to the side, Anya was greeted by three pairs of worry-filled eyes watching her. "Oh, thank goodness!" Hermione cried out in relief before she flung herself over to the witch in the bed, wrapping her in a monstrous hug. "We were all so worried!"

"You and me both," Anya admitted as she gently patted her friend on her back. When Hermione finally pulled away, both Harry and Ron were quick to take her place, hugging her to a point where it was almost crushing her. "Love you guys too, but oxygen-becoming an issue!" she squeaked. They were quick to pull away and Anya gratefully gulped in the air her lungs were deprived of. Once the world stopped spinning before her, Anya carefully pushed herself into a sitting position.

A flash of pain in her left arm caught her attention as she put her weight on it. Gazing down at it, Anya saw the whole of her forearm had been wrapped tightly in gauze bandages, tiny specks of red dotting the white here and there. "Guess it wasn't a bad dream, huh?" she asked as the memory of what was beneath the bandages came rushing back. Lifting her other hand, Anya gently poked at the inside of her arm, a hiss of pain escaping her lips as another flash of pain hit her. Dropping her hands to her sides, Anya looked around the room, seeing that nearly everything in it had some sort of seashell decorating to it. "So where are we exactly?" she asked.

"Shell Cottage," Ron replied as he and the others pulled up a couple of chairs to sit in. "Bill and Fleur were planning on moving in here after the wedding. Guess it's more of one of those safe houses now."

"You mean Bill and Fleur are here?" Anya asked. "Are they ok?"

"They're fine," the redhead reassured her. Anya let out a sigh of relief before allowing herself to sink back into the pillows under her head.

Suddenly, the bedroom door swung open and all eyes turned to see a familiar blonde witch standing at the doorway. "Anya, you're awake!" Luna beamed as she skipped into the room and gave the auburn haired witch a light squeeze. "You've been asleep for almost two whole days. Did you know that?"

"_Two days_?!" Anya repeated in shock. Looking back at her other friends, she saw them look away in embarassment. "Thanks for filling me in, guys," she huffed before turning back to Luna. "So what are you doing here? I thought the Death Eaters had you."

"They did, but Mr. Dobby came and rescued us all from Malfoy Manor," the Ravenclaw said.

At the mention of the loveable house-elf's name, Anya instantly perked up. "Dobby's here too? How did he find us?" Pushing the covers off her, she pulled herself up to stand. "Well, where is he? I miss that little guy so much!" she gushed with a smile. But when Anya saw everyone else become crest-fallen, she frowned. "What's going on? Where is he?" When she saw the tears form in Harry's eyes, she knew her answer. "No... please, no- don't say it," she whispered.

Anya crumpled to the floor. How could this happen? Dobby came to rescue them all and he gets- the words were caught in her throat. The American wrapped her arms around herself to fend off the oncoming chill that came with the feeling of losing someone dear. Blinking back the tears, she took a shuttering gasp. "Where is he?" she finally managed to croak out.

"Come with me," Harry told her as he stood up. Once Anya shrugged on a shawl Fleur had left on the foot of the bed for her and slipped on her shoes, he carefully led her downstairs and out the back door, his arm wrapped around her shoulders to provide comfort, strength, and warmth.

A little ways off from where the Shell Cottage stood, there was a beach. And up on a little hill, far from the rolling tides and crying gulls, was a recently dug up mound in the sand, no bigger than a small child. At the top of the grave was a small boulder acting as the gravestone. As Anya slowly dropped to her knees, she saw that there were words etched into the rock- _'Here Lies Dobby, a Free Elf.'_ "Did he suffer?" she asked.

Harry shook his head. "No," he whispered. "He was happy- he was with friends."

The two friends simply did nothing but stay at the grave's side in complete silence, not even moving an inch as the sorrow filled their hearts. It was only as the sun began to decend on the horizon that Anya wipped at her eyes. She spotted a wild daisy growing from the ground nearby along with a broken twig from a tree, picked them up from the dirt and using the elastic in her hair, tied the little flower to one end. Standing up, she drove the stick into the ground beside the grave.

When Anya turned back to Harry, he saw fury blazing in her violet eyes that were now almost black. "Bellatrix is a dead bitch, she just doesn't know it yet," she growled. "I'll make sure of that."

,:~:,

The Golden Quartet sat in the living room once Harry and Anya came back from Dobby's burial spot. They'd been at it for hours trying to make sense of what had happened that night at Malfoy Manor. "I'm telling you guys- Bellatrix was seriously freaked out about the sword," Anya commented while nodding at the glittering silver weapon on the table in front of them. Fleur came by with another mug of her family's special herbal healing tea for Anya who accepted it with a grimace before taking a sip. It wasn't the most pleasant thing, but at least it helped speed up the process, and she needed her strength.

"Well, it's obvious that it was Bellatrix who stole the sword from Hogwarts," Hermione stated. "She must have done it the night she and those other Death Eaters attacked the school."

Anya shrugged. "Maybe, but that doesn't explain why she kept talking about her vault."

"Her vault?" Ron repeated curiously.

Anya nodded. "Yeah... She kept going on and on about he vault in Gringott's. You should have seen her! Every time I told her I didn't know what she was talking about, she'd get angry, tell me I'm lying, and demand what else I took. Hence why I got this," she lifted her injured arm, "when she got pissed. Besides, the real sword is right here in front of us, so unless someone else stole from her vault and just decided to dump it in the bottom of that lake, then the one she has must be a fake."

"Makes sense," Ron agreed. "But that doesn't tell us what exactly is in that vault. What could she have in there that she'd be ready to kill for?"

Anya gave him a look. "Ron, the woman is a total fruitcake- she kills people when she's _bored_." She let out a sigh. "But you do have a point: what could be in that vault that she'd so paranoid over?" A few ideas popped into her head, but a shrine devoted to You-Know-Who was hardly a reason to freak.

"Maybe it wasn't so much something she owns than it's something she's guarding," Harry suddenly spoke up.

"What are you talking about Harry?" Hermione asked.

The dark haired wizard turned in his chair to face them all properly. "Think about it. If Bellatrix was only worried about something that belonged to her, she would have simply killed Anya and looked for it." Anya cringed at the thought, but she remained silent. "But if she were protecting something for someone, then she'd want to know if anything would happen to it. Say... a horcrux for You-Know-Who?"

"Are you mad?" Ron exclaimed. "You seriously believe that You-Know-Who would leave something like that in the hands of a crazed witch like Bellatrix Lestrange? It's completely mental!"

"Actually Ron... what Harry's saying makes a lot of sense," Anya commented.

"Come again?" Hermione asked in confusion.

Anya sat forward in her seat and set her empty mug down before linking her fingers together. "Hear me out: a horcrux is an item that holds a piece of a person's soul, right? It's their chance to come back from the dead. You-Know-Who supposedly made seven, and he wouldn't keep all of them in the same place. He'd probably leave at least one with someone he could trust." She began to count things off on her fingers. "Now, Bellatrix has been a devoted follower of his for years, even when she was locked up in Azkaban prison. She's already proved that she would kill if he asked it of her without a second thought. So if he gave her something to protect, she would do it gladly just because he touched it. And what a better place to hide it than in Gringotts? It has around-the-clock security, a complex system of tunnels that no one can properly figure out, and even if you find the right vault, it'll suck you in and trap you if you try to force your way inside. It all makes sense."

Ron huffed as he flopped back into his seat. "Well, say you're right and Bellatrix _does_ have a horcrux hidden in her vault- how the bloody hell do you expect us to get to it?"

Anya smirked. "Leave that to me." Getting up from her seat, she looked around the room. "Ok- do any of you know where my jacket is?"

,:~:,

"Anya, what exactly are you doing?" Harry asked the American witch who was currently hunched over in her seat while examining her jacket in her lap. Anya said nothing as she continued to pull strands of fallen hair from the fabric. Occasionally, she'd hold one up to the light for a better look only to frown and toss it aside like all the others before it. "Anya?"

"Hold on a sec," she finally spoke up while examining another strand.

"You said that an hour ago," Ron whined.

Violet eyes shot up and glared at the redhead. "Then you can wait another minute," she barked before turning back to her little task. Eventually, she let out a mighty "Aha!" while holding up a single strand of hair.

A knock on the door brought everone's attention to it as Fleur came into the room. "I found what you asked me for," she said as she handed over a bundle of black cloth over to Anya. The younger witch carefully placed the hair onto a napkin on the table before accepting the item and let it unfold in her hands. It was a long black dress with a very high neckline and sleeves.

"Looks about right," Anya commented. "Do you mind if I change it up a bit?" she asked.

"Change it up?"

"You know- alterations. You might not be able to wear it again," the American added.

Fleur simply shrugged. "It's no problem, I never wore it anyway- too dark for my tastes. Have at it," was all she said before leaving.

"Alright, now shoo- go on!" Anya told her friends and motioned for them to leave the room. Just as she was about to close the door, she stopped. "The wand, please." She held out her hand and Harry placed Bellatrix's wand- which was the only one she'd accept- into her palm before the door slammed in his face. Looking back at the others, Harry simply shrugged before heading out to the backyard.

There plan had been pretty simple: disguise themselves to look like a couple of Death Eaters- Harry remaining under his Invisibility Cloack- and sneak into Gringotts bank where Griphook, the goblin they saved from Malfoy Manor, would lead them to the right vault. Unfortunately, the only way they could get an agreement from Griphook was that they had to promise him Gryffindor's sword. But they only agreed in turn that he'd get it once he helped them get into the vault. It was only now that Harry realized just how stupid he'd been to actually agree because if they gave Griphook the sword, then they'd have nothing to destroy the horcruxes with.

"What do you think she's doing in there?" Ron asked, his face almost completely hidden by a beard and his hair. He looked like a redheaded version of Hagrid.

"Not sure," Hermione sighed.

A short figure waddled out of the back door as Griphook came to join him, his beady eyes zeroing in on the sword of Gryffindor in Harry's hand. "You better keep your promise," Harry warned.

The goblin scowled before it turned into a smirk. "I promised that I'd get you in and that's exactly what I'm going to do." There was something about that smirk that didn't sit well with Harry. He didn't have time to think about it though because the door opened again.

The figure of a tall woman appeared in the doorway. When she remained silent, Harry was the first to speak up. "Umm... Fleur? Is that you?"

The woman said nothing but instead stepped off the porch and walked up to them, the soft moonlight illuminating the face of Bellatrix Lestrange. "I've got you now, Potter!" she cackled maniacally as she slapped his hand away and grabbed a fistful of his shirt, digging the tip of a wand into his chest. But as her fingers wrapped around the fabric, she was yanked back off by Ron and Hermione an pushed into the sand. "Ow-ie! Damn, you guys are rough! I think you bruised my tailbone or something! I'm not gonna be sitting right for a week," she grumbled. Looking up at the wands pointing threateningly at her, pain turned to worry and Bellatrix held up her hands. "Whoa! Guys, relax- it's just me! Anya!"

"Yeah right," Ron scoffed.

Bellatrix gave him a look. "Ronald Bilius Weasley, you better not be giving me attitude, otherwise I'm gonna smack you so hard upside that thick skull of yours that you're gonna think I hit you with a sledgehammer. You thought getting splinched was bad..."

"It's her," Harry stated and let his arm drop.

Bellatrix, who was actually Anya, rolled her eyes. "No shit, Sherlock," she huffed, pulling herself to her feet and grabbing the wand she dropped before. "Guess my little disguise is better than I thought," she grinned. "Add a black dress and a little acting and voilà!- you've got 'crazy witch'." The smile faded a little as a blush formed on her face. "Though I think I might have cut the neck a little too low." She crossed her arms over her chest to hide the amount of skin that was shown.

"So that's why you took the hair and the wand!" Hermione grinned, finally putting the pieces together.

Anya snapped her fingers. "Bingo! Now, come on! Let's get this over with."

And with that, the four friends and the goblin linked hands and apparated away.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AC: Hey, you want to know something?<strong>_

_**MMM: What?**_

_**AC: I find Dobby and Robin Williams had a lot in common.**_

_**HP: What do you mean?**_

_**AC: Well, they both had that child-like quality that made you feel happy and put a little smile to your face.**_

_**MMM: Hmm... That makes a lot of sense. You've got a point.**_

_**Nancy (aka megamatchmaker)**_


	88. Year 7 Ch13

_**MMM: Hello, everyone! So I'm back with a new chapter for you all. Hopefully, it's as good as the others. I know it's an important part to the series and all that, but personally, I don't think it's all that special and it felt like a real filler while I was writing it. But hey- maybe that's just me. You guys can be the judges.**_

_**AC: I liked it, personally. It was cool.**_

_**MMM: Of course you would- it's your life!**_

_**AC: Still...**_

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><p><strong>Ch. 88 The Vault<strong>

Dead leaves rustled and settled in the sudden gust of wind as the Golden Quartet appeared on the deserted streets that lead to Knockturn Alley. Quick to avoid being spotted, Harry dove into the shadows and once Griphook was on his back, Ron took the Invisibility cloak and threw it on top of them.

"Everyone ready?" Anya asked. When each of them answered 'yes', she squared her shoulders and walked out onto the street.

The change was simply outstanding. If it weren't for the fact that Harry knew that it was Anya under that Polyjuice potion, he could have sworn that it was the _real_ Bellatrix in front of him. She even had the _walk_ down, for God's sake. It was almost like she'd been taken over or something by the very image of the woman she changed into. At one point, a distraught wizard came at her, raving about what Bellatrix had done something to his family, and Anya sent him flying back into a wall, knocking him out cold in one go. And when another Death Eater greeted her, Anya sneered and talked down at him in a manner that had him back away. She truly was Bellatrix Lestrange.

Cool and collected in a menacing manner, 'Bellatrix' walked through the doors to the wizarding bank, her high heeled boots clicking against the marble floors. The goblins remained silent as the worked at their desks, not even glancing up to see the three humans that had just entered the room. Still under the cloak, Harry hurried up behind them and followed Anya to the front desk. When the goblin sitting there looked up, he gave them a toothy grin.

"Mrs. Lestrange… what a pleasure it is to see you again," the goblin said in way that clearly showed he was saying it only out of fear.

'Bellatrix' sneered. "I'm sure it is," she scoffed as she crossed her arms. "I'm here to enter my vault," she commanded.

"Oh? But Mrs. Lestrange, the last time you were here, you distinctly said that-" the goblin began, but Anya cut him off.

"I know what I said! Do you think me to be daft? Circumstances have changed and due to them, I require something that I have in my vault! Now, I don't like to be kept waiting, so I suggest you take me to my vault _now_!" she barked.

"Y-yes, Mrs. Lestrange… If you'll please just wait for a mere moment," the trembling goblin whimpered before he stepped down from behind his desk.

"I think you're laying it on too thick, Anya," Ron whispered to the American.

"The more scared they are of her, the less they'll try to ask questions and therefore the better chance we have at getting into that vault," she whispered back.

"Just don't over-do it," Hermione warned before backing away as the goblin returned.

He wasn't alone.

The frightened goblin had brought someone with him: Bogrod, the head goblin. Harry remembered him from when he had first come to Gringotts bank when he was eleven. Bogrod was a very old-looking goblin with a bald head with a few white hairs, and square-shaped glasses perched on his long, crooked nose. Bogrod was also very difficult.

"Mrs. Lestrange, might you please present your wand?" Bogrod asked, holding his hand out to accept the sliver of wood. Beside him, his younger comrade smirked since he now had backup.

Anya raised her chin in defiance. "And why might I do that?" she challenged.

"They know she's an imposter," Griphook hissed in Harry's ear whilst Bogrod explained. "They've summoned security." Looking over his shoulder, Harry saw some of the guards slowly walk towards them. "We're going to need that sword to slit our own throats, thanks to her," Griphook added.

Thinking fast, Harry carefully walked over beside the desk, pointed his wand at Bogrod's head, and cast the Imperius Curse.

,:~:,

Thanks to Harry, Bogrod called off the guards and kindly escorted them around back to the vaults. Anya would have gladly just left the old goblin there, but Griphook insisted that they needed him in order to get into the vault itself. So the four wizards and the two goblins climbed into one of the carts and took off.

There were so many twists and turns as they descended deeper into the underground passageways. Left, right, right again, left, another right… It was enough to give anyone a headache. The further they went down, the colder and more menacing their surroundings became. At one point, Anya could have sworn that she was in the middle of a Jules Verne novel and was going to see something that defied the laws of reality like in his books.

Suddenly, the sound of rushing water met her ears. Looking around in the dimly lit caverns, Anya saw some kind of strange waterfall that almost seemed to glow. And it was pouring over part of the track that they were approaching "Griphook- what is that?!" she heard Harry shout over the roar of the water. But before the goblin could have a chance to reply, the cart drove through the water, soaking them all to the bone.

And then, the cart just stopped.

"Griphook, what's going on?" Anya asked.

Griphook said nothing and a small siren light popped out of the front of the cart, slowly swirling around a golden-yellow light. And then the seats tipped forward, sending all their occupants plummeting down to the rocks below. If it hadn't of been for Hermione casting the cushioning charm, they would have died. Instead, they simply ended up letting out a few grunts when the spell let go and the flopped the last couple of inches into the dirt. Looking back up, Anya saw a tiny dot of yellow slowly disappear as the cart traveled back the way they came.

"Oh no! You look like you again!" Harry stated. Looking down at Ron and Hermione, she saw that they did indeed look like themselves again, as did she when she looked down at herself.

"Thief's Downfall- meant to wash away all spells and enchantments," Griphook announced, pointing at the waterfall.

The Polyjuice potion and Illusion charms weren't the only things the Downfall washed away. Bogrod was coming out of his haze and saw the four teens before him. "What are _you_ doing down here? Thieves! And you!" He pointed at Griphook. "You led them here! Guards! Guards!" He probably would have called every guard right to them if Ron hadn't been quick and re-casted the Imperius curse. The rainbow-colored mist surrounded Bogrod's head once more and he was quiet.

"That was a close one," Ron sighed in relief.

"Do we really need this creep with us?" Anya asked as she looked down at Bogrod. "Personally, I say we just leave him here."

"Lestrange's vault is located in one of our top secure areas," Griphook sneered at her. "And he's the only one who has any access to it. So yes- we need him with us." And with that, Griphook marched on, Anya and the others close behind with a dazed Bogrod.

If there was one thing Anya was sure of it was that there was something big up ahead. Let's face it- there was no possible way that being as far into the complex system such as Gringotts' vault organization as they were, the security wouldn't be tight. Anya she was right... she just never expected _this_.

Standing in front of five vaults- one undoubtedly belonging to Bellatrix, knowing their luck- was a dragon. A Ukrainian Ironbelly, to be precise. Long lengths of black chains held its large, spiked wings down to its body to prevent it from flying away, not that it could with the giant iron cuffs wrapped around its ankles and pinned down with more chain. Anya felt sorry for the creature when she saw the many cuts and scars that marked its body, the scales having turned pale and fragile during the dragon's imprisonment down here for God only knows how long. The once red eyes in the creature's head had become a milky pink as its eye sight grew worse.

A 'clink' caught Anya's attention as Griphook stepped back from a nearby pillar with two iron-bell versions of child's clacker toy. Handing one off to Ron, he began to shake the device around and Anya watched horrified as the dragon cowered and whined in pain at the sound. "It's been trained to expect pain when it hears the noise!" Griphook stated as if it were nothing.

"That's horrible!" the girls proclaimed in shock.

"It's the only way to tame it," Griphook stated.

"You mean 'break it'," Anya sneered as she followed the group around the giant reptile and up the stairs to the vault. "Why didn't you try to breed one from infancy? Teach it to respect you, not fear you?" she asked Griphook who merely scoffed in response. "I'm serious! What you're doing is torture!"

Griphook stopped in front of the vault door and glared up at the witch. "It's not like they come around every day, Missy! That's a very rare breed, that one! Finding one is hard enough as it is! To find it while it's still an infant is impossible!"

"So you mean to say that not only is the poor thing tortured, but it's next to extinction?" Anya barked back. "You're sick!"

Griphook just scoffed again. "Listen and _try _to understand: that 'poor thing' as you put it, is dangerous at best. When provoked, they become wild- savage, even. There's nothing cute or harmless about it. It would rip you to shreds without a second thought. Now you tell me- who in their right mind would be able to steal from Gringotts with something like _that_ guarding the vaults?"

Anya wasn't impressed. But there wasn't much she could do about it.

,:~:,

There was so much stuff in the vault: piles of gold, silver suits of armour, skinned pelts of unusual animals, and God only knows what else. Sure enough, Anya could see a duplicate of the sword of Godric Gryffindor hanging on the far wall. Any one of these items could have been a horcrux and they would have been looking for hours if they didn't already know what it was- the golden cup of Helga Hufflepuff herself. The visions Harry kept having for some reason showed Harry what the horcruxes were, and none of them knew why.

A shriek of pain caught everyone's attention. Hermione had picked up of goblet to examine it but dropped it back just as quickly. Just as it hit the ground, it split and became a shower of identical goblets that littered the floor, the original lost in the sea of duplicates.

"It burned me!" the brunette gasped out, clutching her blistering fingers to her chest.

"They've added Gemino and Flagrante Curses!" Griphook exclaimed. "Anything touched will burn and multiply- the copies are worthless! Keep handling the treasure and you'll be crushed to death by the expanding gold!"

"How do you expect us to find anything then?" Anya exclaimed. Practically every inch of the ground was covered in junk. The only way through was walking on something. Careful to touch only one thing, she nudged a gold Galleon with the tip of her boot. She could feel the intense heat through the leather before the item split into several more Galleons.

"There it is!" Ron's voice cried out as he pointed to a shelf high up on the other side of the room. Sure enough, Hufflepuff's cup sat in front.

"_Accio cup!_" Harry cried out. But instead of the one goblet they needed most flying through the air towards them, every other cup and goblet flew at his head. Harry barely ducked in time to avoid getting hit in the head while Anya and the others were stung and burnt by the curses. The tiny area felt even more cramped as the levels of treasures rose higher until it was almost waist level. And the more cramped it felt, the more Anya's claustrophobia kicked in.

"The sword!" Harry called out for the weapon. Hermione carefully pulled the sword out of her bag and tossed it to him.

Unfortunately, things took a turn for the worse.

Anya had been right all along when she believed that Griphook couldn't be trusted. Someone, the goblin had pulled himself on top of the expanding piles of golds and caught Hufflepuff's cup when Harry lost his balance and it flew off the tip of the sword. He then demanded for the sword in exchange for the cup and Harry had no choice but to comply. And as if that wasn't bad enough, Griphook flung the cup into the mess when he had what he wanted and pushed his way through to get out of there. If Anya hadn't of jumped and caught it, they would have lost the cup. Tucking it into her bag, she and the others hurried out of the vault before they were sealed inside.

Hiding behind a pillar in front of the vault, Anya looked out to see Griphook running as fast as his stubby little legs could carry him, their only means of destroying the horcruxes clutched in his greedy little paws. She could hear him shouting "Thieves!" at the guards that were running towards where all the commotion was, pointing back at the Golden Quartet. When Ron made a comment about how they still had Bogrod to get themselves out, the Ironbelly let out a breath of fire, killing said goblin in seconds.

"Barbeque, anyone?" Anya said sarcastically as the heat faded. She tried to make a joke but with the guards firing spells and a dragon firing... fire, it wasn't the best time.

"What are we going to do now?" Ron asked as they attempted to keep the guards away as best as they could without being hit.

"We need a plan!" Harry stated.

"Got any ideas?" Anya questioned as she fired a stunning hex that hit one of the guards. But as his form crumbled to the ground, two more came up behind him. It was a never-ending sea of problems after them, _against_ them. Even if by some chance they did take care of the guards, they still had that dragon to get passed and-

_They had the dragon._

"You guys, I've got an idea!" Anya exclaimed. "It's crazy as hell, not to mention stupid and a serious risk, but it might work!"

"Well, considering what options we have, I'd say that 'crazy' is exactly what we need right now!" Harry shouted while barely avoiding a spell.

Anya looked back at Hermione. "Cover me." And with that, she shot at the banister and jumped the distance from the edge onto the dragon's back. Ignoring how the dried-out scales cut into her palms, she shot a cutting charm at the chains that held the creature down. Then she climbed up onto the creature's neck. "All aboard the 'Nope' train to 'Fuck-That' Ville!" she shouted to her friends who were quick to join her. Once they were on, she turned her attention to the dragon. "How about we head on up, huh boy?"

It was like the dragon understood her perfectly because it turned its head to the sky above and began climbing the stone wall.

"It's working!" Ron cheered.

Anya shot him a grin over her shoulder. "Just call me the dragon whisperer!" she laughed. Looking back ahead, she saw that the dragon wasn't slowing down and the ceiling was coming up fast. "Duck!" she shouted and covered her head with one arm.

Seconds later, they broke through.

There was complete chaos. The ceiling they'd just broken through was the floor of Gringotts bank main area. Goblins and wizards were running around, screaming their heads off as they ran away from the creature that had suddenly appeared before them. Guards struggled to keep order and get to the dragon to control it, but who could control a two thousand pound lizard with wings and bad breath? The dragon in question let out a puff of fire and smoke, sending everyone running before it continued climbing on up until it broke through the glass ceiling of the wizarding bank, basking in the sunlight and fresh air it had been deprived of for so long.

Anya would have gladly let it admire the view and would have joined in, but now wasn't the time. The real Bellatrix Lestrange had undoubtedly been informed that an impostor had entered her vault and was probably on her way.

Leaning down, she whispered into the Ironbelly's ear," Come on buddy- stretch those wings and let's _really_ be free."

The encouragement worked instantly and the next thing they knew, the Golden Quartet were riding on the back of the Ukrainian Ironbelly dragon as it flew through the skies.

_'Hmm... I wonder how they're gonna erase all those memories,'_ Anya thought as they flew over the muggle streets of London that were filled with people. _'Glad it's not me!'_

* * *

><p><em><strong>AC: "All aboard the 'Nope' train to 'Fuck-That' Ville"? Talk about brilliant!<strong>_

_**MMM: Actually, that isn't mine. My sister came up with it when she posted a comment about a really intense and scary roller coaster ride on Facebook. I just liked it so much that I borrowed it.**_

_**AC: Still love it! And it sounds like something I would say.**_

_**MMM: Why do you think I wrote it in your dialogue?**_

_**AC: Cool! Anyway, great chapter!**_

_**MMM: Thanks. And don't forget to review, people! Currently typing the second to last chapter! We're almost there!**_

_**Nancy (aka megamatchmaker)**_


	89. Year 7 Ch14

_**MMM: Hey there! It's your fave fanfic writer here with another chapter! Ok, so maybe 'fave' might be a stretch... But I am posting a new chapter today.**_

_**AC: Hey Nancy. Good to see you again. So, what's on today's agenda?**_

_**MMM: How about some more breaking in? Hogwarts sound good to you?**_

_**HP: Seriously? We're going to break in to Hogwarts?!**_

_**MMM: Yup! Now pipe down! The chapter's going to start soon.**_

_**HP & AC: *runs off to get ready***_

_**MMM: *turns to audience* You know the drill people! Let's get started!**_

* * *

><p><strong>Ch. 89 Hog's Head Pub<strong>

It seemed like they'd been flying for hours. The wind whipped at their faces and burned their eyes. Blinking the tears away, Harry saw the buildings and concrete streets eventually thin out and give way to trees and dirt roads. It was almost peaceful in a way, unlike what things were really like these days. It almost was like there was no war here.

"Umm... you guys?" Anya shouted from up ahead over the sounds of roaring winds and wings flapping. "Does anyone know how to land one of these things?" she asked, motioning to the dragon below them. Then she pointed further below. "Because if not, we're gonna have a very bumpy landing!" The ground they were slowly decending to was far from pleasant and the dragon, unable to see properly due its near blindness, was getting ready to make its landing there.

"We'll have to jump!" Ron stated.

"Alright... Now!" Harry shouted and along with Ron, Hermione, and Anya, he let go and dropped into the lake below.

As he sliced through the surface of the water, Harry's scar began to burn with an incredible intensity and the further he sank, the worse it became. Images flashed through his mind's eye: You-Know-Who's face furrowed in pain, the door to the Room of Requirement, and a strange sort of tiara. Over and over again, they flashed by until Harry could barely make anything out let alone think of swimming to the surface. If it hadn't of been for Anya, he probably would have drowned.

"You OK?" she asked Harry, spitting out a mouthful of water while helping him swim to the nearby shore. Harry simply nodded in reply. Shivering as they pulled themselves out of the water, the Golden Quartet hurried up the hill, the girls digging out dry clothes and some Essence of Dittany from their bags as they went.

"Harry, you can't keep letting him in!" Hermione insisted, wrapping a blanket around herself. Harry had just told them about how the link between his mind and You-Know-Who's seemed to become stronger and opened between them more frequently. Harry had a sneaking suspicion on why that kept happening, but he never voiced it.

"If You-Know-Who and Harry are having some kind of twin-telepathy thing going on, the last thing we need to be doing is arguing about it," Anya huffed while watching the skin of her palms knit back together. Once it was done, she began to peel off the ruined black dress.

"Bloody hell Anya!" Ron exclaimed, his face turning bright red with embarrassment. Harry was sure he was in the same boat.

"Now isn't the time for modesty Ron," Anya sighed as she pulled on jeans and a brown sweater. "You-Know-Who probably knows what we're up to now and is probably on his way to Hogwarts right this second to stop us from getting the next horcrux. So let's hurry up and get our asses in gear!"

"But how do you propose we get into the school?" Harry asked, bringing up a very valid point. "Snape is headmaster now and chances are he has a barrier around the place, not to mention dementors patrolling the grounds."

"Simple- mischief," Anya smirked. "Hogsmeade village has plenty of hidden passages that lead directly to the school."

"Excellent!" We can use the passageway in the Shrieking Shack," Hermione suggested. "It's far enough from the village that no one will see us slip in. We can apparate there directly."

"Not bloody likely!" Ron exclaimed. "That leads out directly under the Whomping Willow! We'd be crushed the moment we try to step out!"

"Ron's right, Hermione," Harry agreed before the brunette witch could argue. "That tree attacks the moment anyone goes near it, and we don't have Crookshanks to help us out this time. So unless one of you became an un-registered anigamus, we're out of luck. Besides, Snape knows about that passageway, so he most likely has that one covered."

"And that only leads out on the school grounds," Anya pointed out. "If there are dementors patrolling the grounds, then it would be better that we use a passageway that leads directly into the school. From there, we can use he Invisibility cloak to get through the hallways to find the next horcrux."

"We can take the hidden tunnel in Honeyduke's cellar- leads out the back of the one-eyed witch statue on the third floor," Harry suggested.

"But how are we going to find the next horcrux?" Hermione asked. "Harry only sees images of them when one is destroyed and last I checked, we lost our only way."

Harry turned to Anya. "She does have a point," he agreed. Other than a quick glimpse, he really didn't know what he was looking for, just that it was at Hogwarts.

Anya shrugged. "Actually, we kind of do. We just have to look at the evidence." She reached into her bag and pulled out her notebook. "So we know that You-Know-Who used the locket the belonged to Salazar Slytherin along with a ring," she began, pointing to the rough sketches. "And we know that he used Helga Hufflepuff's cup. And chances are that You-Know-Who is too vain to 'grace' his family's greatest enemy with turning an object that once belonged to them into a horcrux.

"So we've got Slytherin, Hufflepuff, no Gryffindor, so that leaves..." Ron tallied off.

"Ravenclaw," Anya finished.

,:~:,

The second the dust settled from the Golden Quartet apparated in to the tiny village of Hogsmeade, some strange alarm went off. Anya cringed at the sound of cats screeching, whistles blowing, and every other noise imaginable. Lights came on in the little houses along the street as people were woken up so late at night.

"You two- check down there!" a rough voice shouted, followed by the sound of feet stomping against the stone streets.

"Hide!" Anya hissed at her friends as she grabbed onto Ron's arm and dragged him with her to hide behind a pile of broken crates, Hermione and Harry dodging behind another seconds before footsteps came around the corner. Anya carefully looked to see about half a dozen Snatchers searching the street. Looking back over her shoulder, Anya saw a dark alley leading away from the street so she quietly signaled to her friends to follow her as she hurried down the alley.

As she rounded a corner, someone grabbed on to her arm. Instinctively, she swung her arm out to hit the person and let out a gasp when it was caught. "Follow me," a voice whispered before Anya felt the person tug her in a particular direction and she could do nothing but follow, her friends close behind. Even in the dark of night, she could still make out the familiar shape of Hog's Head pub.

A door opened and the soft glow of lanterns poured out. "Hurry now," the mystery man instructed and the four friends rushed into the building and down steps that seemed to lead into the cellars. Anya felt a little uneasy about trusting this complete stranger who's face she couldn't even see, but considering that their only other option was waiting for the snatchers circling the village to find them, it was better than nothing.

"Harry?" Hermione whispered. Anya looked over at the brunette witch to see her staring into a small mirror that was hanging on the wall. She was surprised that someone would keep something like that when there was a large shard missing from the reflective item. "I can see you in this," Hermione said. When Harry looked down at something in his hands, Anya looked over his shoulder to see that he was holding the missing fragment which was reflecting neither Harry nor herself, but rather the back of Hermione's head.

Footsteps brought everyone's attention to the stairs as their rescuer came down to the cellar. He was a much older gentleman with long silvery hair and beard and dark blue eyes. There was something oddly familiar about him, but Anya just couldn't place it. No one said a thing as the man went around the little room, gathering different foods and goblets of butterbeer that he sat down on the table. Hermione and Ron quickly dove for the food whilst Harry and Anya, being more cautious, stood back.

It turned out that their rescuer was none other than Alberforth Dumbledore, the younger brother to the late Albus Dumbledore. It certainly explained why there was a portrait of Ariana Dumbledore, the only daughter in that family who had died at a very young age, hanging over the fireplace. Anya had heard of Alberforth and about the family's story, but she just could hardly believe any of it since it was Rita Skeeter who had published it into a book.

But even though the older wizard spoke of how he'd given up on winning this war, of what his own _brother_ believed in, Anya wasn't convinced. Whenever the Golden Quartet needed help of some sort, it came to them by way of Mr. Dumbledore himself: Dobby at Malfoy Manor, the mysterious patronus in the woods... He had to be the one behind it all.

Letting out a sigh, Anya pulled out her pack of cigarettes, lit one and allowed the tobacco to fill her senses. Mr. Dumbledore frowned. "I don't allow smoking in here," he said.

Anya looked at the man and gave a shrug. "It's not really smoking as it is relaxing. No rules broken," she said before taking another drag. When the older wizard gave her an un-amused look, she huffed before tossing the cigarette into the ashes in the fireplace. "I should probably quit anyway," she shrugged. He then turned to the portrait and said something to her. Ariana smiled and turned to walk up the path behind her. "Where's she going?" Anya asked.

"You'll see soon enough," Alberforth said before leaving the room.

Anya didn't know how long they stood there waiting, but eventually, Ariana could be seen coming back up the path. But this time, she wasn't alone. As the four friends waited with baited breath, the painting slowly swung open to reveal a tunnel. And the person who was with Ariana was none other than-

"Neville!" Anya cheered at the sight of her friend. He was a little beaten and bruised with a couple cuts on his face, but he seemed alright.

"Good to see you guys," the Gryffindor greeted them, letting out a light chuckle when Anya hauled herself up onto the mantle and grabbed him in a hug. "Hey Ab, we've got four more coming through."

,:~:,

Anya had to admit it felt weird sneaking into school. Not that it wasn't uncommon for kids to sometimes break in to a school to pull some kind of prank or something, but it had more to do with the fact that she and her friends _had_ to break in. But what other choice did they have?

Neville was currently filling them in about just how badly Hogwarts had changed, and it wasn't a pretty picture that he painted. As if Snape as Headmaster wasn't bad enough, Slytherins had full reign of the school, and two Death Eaters were in charge of discipline and a class- Dark Arts. When Neville told them how if students refused to practice dark magic on their fellow classmates they'd be beaten or tortured, Anya was ready to throw up.

As they reached the end of the tunnel, Neville stopped and grinned at them. "Right then... Let's have a bit of fun, shall we?" he asked before turning off the light. Then he pressed against the wall ahead of them.

The wall opened as a door and Anya looked out from the shadows behind Neville to see a room filled with cots and hammocks and sleeping bags, and most importantly, Dumbledore's Army. It was like a refugee camp.

"Hey you lot!" Neville called out, bringing everyone's attention to him, the Golden Quartet hidden behind him. "Got a surprise for you!"

"Not more of Alberforth's cooking, I hope," Seamus' voice groaned, "I'd be surprised if any of us can digest anymore."

Neville let out a chuckle as he stepped to the side and let the four people behind him step forward. Cheers sounded throughout the room as the students saw their heroes had returned to them. Anya jumped down from the mantle and was instantly engulfed in hugs. Looking around, she saw one student push his way through the crowd and head to a table where a radio and mike sat. She remembered it as one of the many Mr. Weasley had been working on the previous summer. Anya couldn't help but chuckled as she heard him announce to any Order members listening on the other end that 'lightning has struck Hogwarts.'

"Alright, give the man some space," Neville eventually ordered as the crowd thinned out around Harry. "Let's not kill him before You-Know-Who gets the chance. So Harry, what do we do now?" he asked.

Harry looked a little stunned being given the attention of so many, but he quickly shook it off. "You-Know-Who has been hiding something, possibly here in the castle- something that'll help us beat him." Unfortunately, the mood deflated as fast a popped balloon when people asked what or where it was and Harry told them he didn't know. "I realize that isn't much to go on-"

"That's nothing to go on," Seamus scoffed.

"It'll probably something small, easily concealed or kept at hand. Also, it might be something related to Ravenclaw," Anya added. "So... Any ideas?"

No one said anything for a minute. And then, like a heavenly voice sent down from Heaven, Luna's voice spoke up. "Well, there's Ravenclaw's lost diadem." She looked around at the confused faced surrounding her. "The lost diadem of Rowena Ravenclaw? Doesn't anyone know it? It's quite famous."

"Yes but Luna, it's been lost- for centuries now. There isn't a person alive who's seen it," Cho Chang stated.

"Excuse me, but could someone tell me what the bloody hell a diadem is?" Ron asked impatiently.

"It's a sort of crown, like a tiara almost," Cho explained. "Legend has it that it gives the wearer immense knowledge."

"A locket, a ring, and now a tiara?" Anya whispered to Hermione. "What's next- a pair of earrings?" she joked. "I always wondered about that whole black robe look You-Know-Who's got going on."

Suddenly, a door opened and at the sound of stone scraping against stone, all eyes turned to see a familiar redheaded witch step into the room. Ron beamed at the sight of his little sister safe and sound, but the smile faded when the only response he got from greeting her was a surprised and breathless "Harry."

"Bloody hell," Ron scoffed, "I haven't seen her for six months and suddenly it's like I'm a first-year. I'm her brother!"

"She's got plenty of those," Seamus teased. "There's only one Harry."

"Shut up, Seamus," Ron groaned, his ears slowly turning pink at the mention of his little sister having eyes for his best friend.

"What's the problem, Ginny?" Neville asked, bringing the attention back to why the young witch ran in the room in the first place.

"It's Snape," Ginny announced. "He knows Harry's here. I don't know how, but he does. He's demanding that everyone comes to the Great Hall now."

Everyone turned back to look at Harry for some kind of plan. Fortunately, he did. "One of you needs to get in contact with the Order- get them here as fast as you can." Turning to Anya, he nodded to the hip bag on her person. "You got any old Gryffindor robes in there?" he asked.

Catching on to his plan, the American smirked and reaching into her bag, she pulled out two of the item in question. "Right behind you, Harry."

* * *

><p><em><strong>AC: What's the plan?<strong>_

_**MMM: You'll have to wait until the next chapter.**_

_**AC: Aw...**_

_**MMM: So that's it for today. Hope you all liked it. Now if you'll all excuse me, I have some things I need to take care of before the season 4 premiere of Once Upon A Time starts at 8 tonight. Yes, I like that show a lot! **_

_**Nancy (aka megamatchmaker)**_


	90. Year 7 Ch15

_**MMM: So here we are again, people! Things are really spicing up now! I can't believe it. It's been almost three years since I first posted and look at where we've gone from there. This is pretty something.**_

_**AC: Yeah... I can't believe we're almost done.**_

_**MMM: Well, truth is, I've just finished typing the final chapter today.**_

_**AC: Does that mean you'll post the rest ASAP?**_

_**MMM: Not quite. The last chapter, I plan to post on November 7th. I started writing this story on that particular day 3 years ago and I plan for it to end that same day.**_

_**AC: But that's about 5 weeks from now.**_

_**MMM: Exactly. Which means that there are about 5 chapters left.**_

_**AC: So it's really over? *whimpers***_

_**MMM: Don't you remember? I'm writing a sequel to "When Opposites Attract"! There's still plenty to be seen!**_

_**AC: YAY!**_

_**MMM: Now, how about we get to reading, everyone? And places please! Action!**_

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><p><strong>Ch. 90 Back in the Game<strong>

The sound of feet marching in unison rang through the hallways as the students of Hogwarts slowly made their way to the Great Hall, the Carrows watching them carefully. The young faces were shrouded with fear and worry at what could possibly have had Snape call them out of bed so late at night.

"Many of you are surely wondering why I have summoned you at this hour. It's come to my attention that earlier this evening, Harry Potter was sited in Hogsmeade." The students began to whisper amongst themselves but quickly stopped when Snape continued speaking. "Now, should anyone, student or staff, attempt to aid Mr. Potter, they will be punished in a manner consistent with the severity of their transgression. Furthermore, any person found to have knowledge of these events, who fails to come forward, will be treated as equally guilty." Faces paled at the threat, both student and teacher alike.

"Now, then. If anyone here has any knowledge of Mr. Potter's movements this evening, I invite to step forward. Now." Snape finished, his voice dripping with a cool calm. Those who did know of Harry's whereabouts were obviously not going to say anything and those who didn't obviously couldn't. Suddenly, two sets of footsteps echoed off the stone walls as two figures stepped from the crowd. Gasps rung out the room as seeing Harry Potter and Anya Collins step out from the sea of black robes, disguised that whole time in their own Gryffindor robes.

"It seems that despite your exhaustive defensive strategies, you still have a bit of security problem, _headmaster_," Harry mocked.

As he said this, the doors opened again as Ron, Hermione, and various members of the Order of the Pheonix came walking in. Anya glanced over her shoulder at her friends before turning back to the man before her. "I think it's a little more than a bit," she scoffed. "Maybe you should have stuck with potions."

"How dare you stand where he stood?!" Harry shouted, catching everyone's attention as the truth came how. When Snape realized what Harry was talking about- the night when he killed the beloved late headmaster Dumbledore- he was quick to try and hex, if not kill, the younger wizard, but McGonagall appeared out of nowhere and challenged him, Harry and Anya flanking her as the Carrow siblings did Snape. The rest of the occupants of the room were quick to back away the instand wands were drawn.

Sparks flew as curses were fired between the two sides. Anya ducked as a hex was fired at her head and stunned the Death Eater she was fighting as Harry did the same to the sister. Without his dark wizards watching his back, Snape was no match against the head of the house of lions. And so he just apparated out of there like a dog running away with its tail between his legs. The students and staff- minus the Slytherins- cheered as the school became under the control it once was.

Unfortunately, the speck of happiness died out almost instantly.

Anya, along with most of the people in the Great Hall, gasped out with pain and clutched at their heads.

_"I know you want to fight," _You-Know-Who's voice whispered in their minds like a snake's hissing. It was disturbing and made Anya's skin crawl to have him inside her head again. _"But you cannot win. I do not wish to spill magical blood. Give me Harry Potter and none shall be harmed. Give me Harry Potter and I will leave Hogwarts untouched. Give me Harry Potter and you shall be rewarded. You have until midnight." _ And at that, the pain ended as the invasion on their minds faded.

Everyone was stunned in silence as eyes sought Harry. Of course, not everyone was stunned. Pansy Parkinson stepped out of the crowd of Slytherins, pointed at the hero and shouted, "What are you waiting for? Someone grab him!"

Harry felt someone grab onto his arm and pull him behind said person. "Try it and I'll re-arrange your face so bad, your own mother wouldn't recognize you," Anya growled as she stood in front of her friend, staring down anyone who would even think of trying to hurt him. Pansy scowled back at the American and moved to push her way past her to get to Harry, but Anya's arm reeled back and slammed into Pany's face. The sound of bone breaking echoed as Pansy dropped like a stone, blood oozing from her broken nose. Anya took a step forward, daring the other Slytherins who all backed away.

"Mr. Filch," McGonagall addressed the squib caretaker as he came running into the Great Hall announcing that students were out of bed. "Would you please escort Ms. Parkinson and the rest of Slytherin house from the hall?"

"And where is it exactly I'll be taking them, ma'am?" he asked.

"The dungeons will do," she replied, earning scoffs from the Slytherins. But still, the house of snakes followed the caretaker from the room, two of them having to drag Pansy out with them. Turning back to the hero, McGonagall asked, "I know you have a plan Potter- what is it that you need?"

"Time, as much as you can give," Harry replied.

Anya looked down at her watch. "Midnight's in less than an hour, so we need to move. Professor, I suggest you get the younger students hidden somewhere safe- this battle is gonna get real deadly. Get protection shields up, limit the ways to get onto the school grounds by foot- everything. It's time that we show that asshole Voldemort that we're not gonna go down without a fight."

"Indeed," McGonagall agreed. Harry nodded and went to leave but she stopped him. "Potter... It's good to see you again," she said with a small smile.

"Good to see you too, Professor,' Harry grinned back before continuing on.

"Give 'em hell, Professor!" Anya cheered as she followed her friend.

"Harry, wait!" Harry stopped running which caused Anya to almost collide into his back while attempting to stop. Looking back, they saw Ron and Hermione pushing their way through the crowd rushing around them. "Look- it doesn't matter if we find the horcrux or not," Ron announced.

"Unless we can destroy it!" Hermione was quick to add when they saw the shocked faces on Harry and Anya.

"Makes sense," Anya mumbled.

"So Hermione and I were thinking-"

"Well actually Ron was thinking it. It's his idea- completely brilliant," Hermione cut in.

"You destroyed a horcrux before with a basilisk fang... Well, Hermione and I might know where to get another," Ron explained.

_'The Chamber of Secrets,'_ Anya thought. "Ok... You guys go and get it- get as many as you can carry. Harry and I'll go to find the diadem," she said.

"Here. Take this." Harry held out that familiar folded parchment containing the Maurauder's map. "That way you can find us when you get back."

"You guys better be careful down there or I'm gonna kill you!" Anya joked as she and Harry started running again. "So where are we going exactly?" she asked the wizard.

"Ravenclaw common room. Might be the obvious place to look, but it's the best choice we've got," he told her. Grimacing at how obvious it would be, it was the only lead they had so with a shrug, Anya followed after him.

,:~:,

Everywhere he looked, Harry saw students and staff and Phoenix members running around, preparing themselves for the biggest night of their lives- the biggest battle of the century. Hopefully, it would be the last that any of them would ever have to face. There were already so many lives lost in the last several months alone and undoubtedly, that number would only increase drastically before the night was up. Knots formed in the pit of his stomach at the thought.

"Harry! Anya!" The two teens continued to climb the stairs to Ravenclaw tower but looked over their shoulders to see Luna hurrying after them. "Wait, I can help!" she insisted as she struggled to keep up.

"We appreciate the thought Luna, but now isn't the time," Harry said.

"But you won't find what you're looking for-" Luna tried to explain, but Harry cut her off again.

"Not now Luna!" he barked.

"HARRY POTTER! YOU LISTEN TO ME RIGHT NOW!" Harry and Anya froze mid-step at Luna's outburst. To hear the blonde's normally tiny and soft voice at such a powerful level was a foreign concept. Looking back, they saw her simply standing there with her regular dreamy-eyed expression. "Don't you remember what Cho said? There isn't a person alive who's seen it," she reminded him. "Don't you see? We need to talk to someone who's dead. Come on- follow me!" she finished as she hurried back down the way she came, the two very confused friends following close behind.

Anya's face scrunched up in confusion as they ran. "How bad would it be if I said that what she just said makes perfect sense?" she asked.

"Perhaps you can fill me in?" Harry asked, his breath coming out in short gasps.

"Luna said that to find out about the diadem, we need to talk to someone who's dead, right? It's obvious!" Harry looked at her oddly and Anya elaborated. "Seriously? Didn't you ever heard spooky stories?" she asked and Harry shook his head, causing her to huff. "In the muggle world, if you want to talk to the dead, what do you do?"

Harry thought for a minute. "Use a ouija board?" he guessed.

"And if it's done right, you can talk to...?" she insisted.

"Spirits?"

"And another word for 'spirits'..." Anya pushed.

Finally, it clicked. "Ghosts! Of course, the Grey Lady!" Harry exclaimed.

"And back when she was alive, more commonly known as Helena Ravenclaw, daughter to Rowena Ravenclaw herself," Anya stated.

Harry almost stopped running. "How do you know that?" he asked.

Anya rolled her eyes. "I've read _Hogwarts, A History_ only about a hundred times. It has a full biography of each of the founders, including pictures of their family members. Now painted portraits aren't perfect mirror images of the person they're made of, but the Grey Lady has a very strong resemblance to the portrait of Rowena's daughter. And the bio said that Helena disappeared around the same time that the diadem did."

"But why would Helena steal from her own mother?" Harry asked.

Anya was quick to respond. "Marriage. Back in those days, women didn't have much of a say as to who they were marrying if their parents decided. Helena was probably being forced into an arranged marriage by her mom and decided to run away. And since she was Rowena Ravenclaw's only child at the time, she must have figured that the diadem went to her by right and took it with her. Guess she just never expected that she'd be killed so soon after she ran away," she finished.

Eventually, the three students found themselves at the far end of the castle, illuminated only by the soft blue glow of the shield dome that protected Hogwarts. The sounds of the oncoming battle were almost non-existent, they were so far away. "She'll be down there," Luna said indicating to the dark corridor.

"Aren't you coming with us?" Harry asked the blonde witch.

"No... This is something you two need to do yourselves. And besides, she tends to be rather shy," Luna replied.

Anya practically pounced on the other witch as she wrapped her up in a hug. "Thanks again Luna. Now, you be careful out there, you hear me?" The blonde nodded and hugged her back. "See you later, huh?"

"Alright," Luna smiled in her typical dreamy-eyed fashion. And with that, she left.

"Well... Shall we?" Anya sighed as she motioned down the corridor.

,:~:,

It didn't take long for the two friends to find Helena Ravenclaw's ghost. She was simply standing there, her long black hair and cloak floating around her on invisible winds. "Hello Helena," Anya greeted the spirit who seemed surprised and turned.

"I haven't been called by my proper name for many years," Helena stated. "How did you know?"

Anya simply shrugged. "Guess I'm not as clueless as the rest of this school is."

"Listen Helena, we need your help. We need to know whatever you know about your mother's lost diadem," Harry began, but Helena was quick to cut him off, saying how so many other students before him had tried to convince her to reveal the magical tiara's location. She seemed convinced that the only reason Anya and Harry wanted it was to be clever, like so many before them. But there was another reason... Anya was sure of it.

"Helena... you told someone this story before, haven't you?" Anya asked when they learnt the story of the witch's death: stabbed to death in a fit of rage by her fiancé- the Bloody Baron himself- before he took his own life.

Silvery tears began to form in the ghost's eyes. "I had... no idea... He was... flattering. He seemed to... to understand my pain- to sympathize..." she sobbed. It was easy to figure out that Voldemort, in his previous years, had used his charm to wheedle out the secret location. And unsurprisingly, instead of destroying the reminder that caused her tragic ending like he said he would, he turned the diadem into a horcrux and hid it somewhere in the castle. Harry figured he must have hidden it when he came to apply for a job as a teacher.

The only question was 'where'.

"It's here, hidden in the castle," Helena announced once she was convinced that despite how much Harry looked like Voldemort's teenage counterpart Tom Riddle, he wasn't anything like him. "In the place where all things are hidden. If you need ask, then you will never know. If you know, you only need ask." And with that, Helena became a bright ball of light and flew away.

"Wait! What does that mean?!" Harry shouted after her but received no reply.

"It's a riddle," Anya huffed. "Figures... Ravenclaws- why does that not surprise me?"

The ground rumbled and shook under their feet, nearly knocking the two friends onto their asses. Looking out up at the sky, Harry and Anya saw that the protective dome that surrounded the school and its grounds began to fade and crumble s it turned a pale orange color before it burst, smoldering pieces slowing fluttering down from the skies.

"OK, we need to move," Anya mumbled. "Alright, think! The diadem- it's hidden in the place where all things are hidden. If we need ask, then we'll never know but if we know, we need only ask." She let out a growl of frustration. "What the hell does that even mean?!"

"A place where all things are hidden?" Harry repeated.

"That could mean anything: hidden passageways, or a secret room... You know, this is why I always hated scavenger hunts when I was a kid- riddles were never my thing, just made my head hurt like hell. God! What we need is an actual answer, not some dumb game!"

"What did you just say?" Harry asked.

"I said what we need is-" Anya began to repeat only to stop when Harry began to chuckle to himself. "Don't really see what's so funny, Harry," she huffed.

"It's what we need- bloody brilliant!" Harry laughed. "And all we have to do is ask!"

"Are you on some kind of medication that I should know about?" Anya asked wearily.

"Don't you see? The Room of Requirement!" Harry explained. "When you are in desperate need of something, you _ask_ the room for it! And last year, when I needed to get rid of my potions book, where did Ginny and I go to hide it?" he asked.

"The Room of Forgotten Things!" Anya called it. "Of course- what better place to hide something than a room that people rarely go in? Harry, you're a friggin' genius!"

"Well then, let's go!" And with that, they hurried back the way they came to get up to where the Room of Requirement was. As they got closer to the grand staircase, they found that the battle had already begun. And grabbed Harry's sleeve and yanked him back to avoid being hit by a spell. As the Death Eater flew overhead, Anya stunned him, sending the dark wizard smashing into a pillar at the speed he was flying.

"Ginny, Neville!" Harry exclaimed as their two friends came into view. "You alright?" he asked.

"Never better. I feel like I could spit fire!" Neville beamed. "You haven't seen Luna, have you?"

"Luna? Why?" Anya questioned though she already had an idea why.

"I'm mad for her! I suppose I should tell her now since we'll most likely be dead by morning!" their fellow Gryffindor replied as he ran off to re-join the fight.

Ginny and Harry simply looked at each other before their lips crushed together. Anya, wanting to give her friends a moment of privacy as best as she could as well as save herself some embarrassment, turned her attention to the fight around her. After that, Harry grabbed her arm and she continued to follow him up the stairs to the Room of Requirement.

Huffing and gasping for breath, the two friends finally reached the seventh floor. As they hurried down the hallway, the foundations for the school shook as another powerful wave of spells hit it. Anya barely had time to push Harry out of the way and dodge to the other side as debris fell from the ceiling.

"Thanks for that," Harry said.

"Eyes open, boy. Can't protect you all the time," Anya said in her best Sean Connery voice. For some reason, she could just imagine him saying something like that in a movie. Grabbing him by the elbow, she hauled them both back to their feet and pushed on. As they reached the end of the hall, the door to the Room of Requirement appeared.

"Together?" Harry asked.

Anya smirked. "Don't we always?" she grinned. And together, they opened the door. The grin fell from her face as Anya took one look at the mess that the room had become. "Remember how I said that you're a genius, Harry? Well, I take it back."

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><p><em><strong>AC: This is gonna be a disaster. *grimaces at mess*<strong>_

_**HP: We'll find it Anya. Don't worry.**_

_**AC: *sarcastically* Uh-huh...**_

_**MMM: Well, I hope you all liked this chapter. For those who don't know, the Sean Connery bit at the bottom of the chapter is actually a line from the movie "League of Extraordinary Gentlemen", a fabulous movie which brings together many characters from well known literature works such as 'Picture of Dorian Gray', 'Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde', and 'Dracula' in an action-packed movie with some amazing special affects, a journey to different parts of the world, and some very amusing lines. I recommend that you watch it.**_

_**SC: I don't like people mimicking my accent, thank you very much.**_

_**MMM: Sean Connery! Oh my gosh! I can't believe you're here! This is amazing!**_

_**SC: *frowns***_

_**AC: Sorry, Mr. Connery. I'm afraid Nancy gets a little excited when it comes to her favorite actors.**_

_**SC: Really... I'm a favorite?**_

_**MMM: *begins rambling on about how much she likes his movies***_

_**AC: *turns to audience* Well, that's it for now, everyone! Be sure to leave comments and reviews for Nancy so that she can feel good about the fact that the story is coming to a close.**_

_**MMM: *turns to audience* See ya! *turns attention back to Sean Connery***_

_**Nancy (aka megamatchmaker)**_


	91. Year 7 Ch16

**_MMM: So I'm back with another chapter! We're getting really close to the end of the story now. I'm feeling kind of sad right now. :(_**

**_AC: Tell me about it! How are you going to wrap all of this up?_**

**_MMM: You'll have to wait and see. But let's just get to work, 'k?_**

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><p><strong>Ch. 91 Fiendfyre<strong>

"It's even more of a disaster than the last time I was here," Harry commented. "How the bloody hell are we going to find the diadem in this mess?"

"It's all a matter of narrowing down the possibilities and figuring out the hiding places," Anya reasoned.

"And how do you propose we do that?" the wizard asked.

"Simple- we think like a person hiding a horcrux," Anya stated. Taking a sigh, she turned to the room. "OK then… First off- a diadem isn't something you'd just ignore, so it would need to be hidden from immediate view- inside a box, most likely since it's a delicately woven metal that could easily be crushed if something fell on it. Next is accessibility. We should check any tables or eye-level shelves midway into the room."

"Why would you say that?" Harry asked.

"Say something were to happen to the school and you needed to get out of here fast but you couldn't just leave something like a piece of your soul behind, indestructible or not. So you'd want to be able to get in and out ASAP. But at the same time, you wouldn't want someone to accidentally stumble upon it and decide to steal it, so you'd put it deep enough that they might lose their way. Mid-room is always far enough in that any unwanted people wouldn't find it by chance," Anya explained. Harry figured it made sense so he nodded. "Alrighty then- we'll head in half way in the room length wise and start at opposite ends, keeping our eyes peeled for any head-sized shaped boxes at easy-to-reach access. If either of us find it, we'll send red sparks up and then head back to the door. Got it?" Anya instructed.

"Got it," Harry agreed. "Hey," he suddenly said just as Anya was about to head off to the left, causing her to stop and turn back to him. "Be careful in here. There's no telling what's in this place," he cautioned her.

"That goes double for you, Mr. Danger-Magnet," she replied with a grin before she continued on her way. Harry watched as the American witch dodged to the side as a withered old venamous tentaculus plant tried to take a snap at her as she passed by. Turning to face where he was going, Harry took a deep breath to prepare himself for whatever he was sure to encounter and began his search.

Harry thought he had a hard time navigating through the maze during the Triwizard Tournament three years ago. But this was by far worse than that. Here, he knew what was at the end of this sinister rainbow of trouble. Harry kept looking and looking, but every time he thought he had finally found the diadem, it turned out to be a false hope.

And that's when he suddenly heard it: hissing and whispering, so faint that it almost non-existent. Slowly turning, the young wizard saw a small coffee table that had been hidden behind a tower of broken furniture pieces. And sitting right on top of it, fitting the exact description Anya had mentioned earlier, was a wooden box. If that wasn't proof enough, the whispers and hisses got louder as Harry got closer. After gently brushing off the dust from the box, Harry carefully lifted the lid.

And there it was- Ravenclaw's diadem.

Harry had to admit, he did see the strange appeal of the magical item. It was made of delicately woven silver shaped to form the wings that would wrap around the wearer's head, an eagle's head resting just above the brow. A medium-sized sapphire sat just underneath the eagle's neck with two smaller diamonds dangling down from it. And etched into the bottom rim of the metal, there were words: _'Wit without measure is man's greatest treasure.'_

"Well, well…" a voice suddenly spoke up from behind Harry. Dropping the diadem back in its box, Harry turned to see Draco Malfoy standing there with a wand pointed straight at him, his friends/fellow Slytherins Goyle and Blaise flanking him. "Fancing seeing you here, Potter,' he smirked.

,:~:,

Anya huffed as she closed the lid on yet another chest. It had brooches and necklaces and a whole bunch of other priceless items, but nothing that looked even remotely close to a tiara. In frustration, she even shoved the box off to the side. Looking over her shoulder, Anya stared off into the direction Harry had gone off. Since she'd already searched of her side of the room, she figured that she'd go and help Harry if she could. So getting up off the floor, Anya made her way through the maze of junk to find of her friend.

As Anya rounded the corner, she found herself back-pedalling so that she remained unseen by hiding behind an old cabinet. Peeking out from behind it, she saw Harry having a stand-off with Draco Malfoy, though it was more of a one-sided stand-off and Malfoy had a huge advantage.

Just as Anya was about to get Bellatrix's wand out to hex the other two Slytherins, something caused her to stop. It was something Harry said. "Why didn't you tell her? Bellatrix. You knew it was me, but you didn't say anything." Harry suddenly let out a chuckle. 'Anya… I should have known. She's the reason, isn't she?" Glancing back at the blonde, Anya noticed how his shoulders tensed up. "In fact, it all makes sense now. Pushing her away, doing things to make her hate you… You did it all to protect her. You still love her, don't you?"

Anya couldn't help but feel a twinge of happiness. Maybe there could be a chance for them, provided they both lived through the night. However, the smile on her face faded into a frown when Goyle's voice reached her ears. "Come on Draco. Don't be a prat- do him in."

Flicking the wand from her sleeve into her hand, Anya marched up to stand right behind the wizard and dug the tip of it into the back of his neck. "Try it, and I'll spray what little brain matter you have on the walls," she growled.

"Anya!" Harry exclaimed in relief seeing his friend safe and sound.

"Hey Harry- miss me?" Anya smirked.

Taking the moment of hesitation, Blaise swung his arm back to hit Anya, but the American witch blocked it easily and threw a punch that hit him square in the jaw. Goyle, now free, tried to elbow her in the face, but Anya blocked that too. "Do you seriously think I'd fall for that again?" she scoffed, remembering the last time he tried that on her.

"Guess I should try something new then, huh?" Goyle growled.

A flash of pain hit Anya in the stomach as the Slytherin punch her hard there. The force of the blow caused her to crash onto the floor, the wand flying out of her hand to land only inches from her grasp. Looking up, she saw the wizard towering over her with a crazed look in his eyes, ready to kill.

But just as he was about to do her in, a shout of _"Expelliarmus!"_ caught everyone's attention as the spell hit a nearby table causing the items on it to fly into the air, including the diadem.

_"Avada Kedavra!"_ Goyle cursed but just as the spell was cast, Anya kicked him in the back of his knees which caused the spell to go off course, hitting a spot on the floor rather than Hermione or Ron. Picking up her wand from the floor, Anya dove behind a broken chair and fired hexes at the retreating Slytherins.

"That's my girlfriend, you numpties!" Ron roared as he chased after them.

"Girlfriend?!" Anya gasped out as she stepped out from her spot. Looking at Hermione, she saw a small smile bloom on the brunette's face. "Exactly when did all this happen?" she asked.

"It's kind of a long story," the brunette replied.

Despite the situation, Anya found herself smirking. "You and I are going to have a talk once this is all over," she grinned.

A grunt of frustration caught the attention of the two witches and they turned to see Harry desperately pulling at a worn out couch to get into the centre of the pile where the diadem had fallen in. Hermione and Anya hopped up to help and after a few desperate tugs, the couch was moved enough. But when Harry tried to reach in and get the diadem, he couldn't get a solid grip on it.

"Let me try," Anya insisted, pushing Harry aside so that she could reach in.

"Anya, I don't think you'll be able to-" Harry began only to cut himself off when she pulled her arm back out, the diadem clutched tightly in her fist. "Alright then," he ended before they all jumped off the pile.

Anya's feet had barely touched the ground for a second before she was nearly bowled over by a frightened, whimpering Ron who came running through. "Goyle's set the bloody place on fire!" he shouted as he grabbed Hermione's hand to tug her along, never once breaking his stride.

Anya and Harry looked back where their redheaded friend just came from to see bright orange flames begin to lick at the items in the room, devouring them instantaneously as the fire took the shape of a giant snake. "Move!" Harry shouted as he pushed Anya ahead of him as they ran after their friends.

Anya ran as fast as her legs could carry her, jumping over small piles and dodging around larger ones, the diadem clutched in her hand the entire time. In an attempt to slow down the fire-snake so they could get away, Anya stopped to pull on a piece of old wood at the base of a large pile, sending it crashing down as she ran past. Anya smiled, thinking that her plan worked, but the smile faded when she saw the fire-snake crash through easily. "Fiendfyre…" she gasped out before taking off running again. "How the hell did Goyle learn Fiendfyre?!" she shouted.

"What's Fiendfyre?" Harry asked as they ran.

"Bad-ass stuff, impossible to put out. You have to let it burn itself out in order for it to die," Hermione gasped out from up ahead, clearly frightened since she was swearing.

As the Golden Quartet rounded a corner, they found their path blocked by more of the deadly flames. Looking back, they found the snake was gaining fast. Trying the other direction, they saw a fire-wolf coming from their last choice.

They were trapped.

Just as the snake and wolf were about to strike, Anya and Harry were quick to cast a protective shield around their little group, causing the deadly fire to bounce back. "Nice save," Ron gasped out as he tumbled to the ground with Hermione.

"It won't hold it off for long," Anya warned. "The Fiendfyre will eventually eat its way through the shield. Even if it didn't and we tried to wait it out in here, we'd die of suffocation from all this smoke." The smoke was already starting to irritate her lungs. _'If I live through this, I'm giving up smoking for good!'_

'Well how are we going to get out of here?" Hermione asked.

Anya wasn't sure.

The poor witch jumped as the fire-snake took another snap at the shield, causing her to stumble over something behind her. Looking down at her feet, Anya saw that she had tripped over the handles of a couple brooms that had fallen out of a small cupboard. "I've got an idea."

,:~:,

Four brooms burst through the barrier and flew high over the flames. "Alright then, let's blow this taco stand 'cause it is just way too _caliente_ me," Anya commented.

As they flew by, trying to find an exit, Harry noticed something below. It was Malfoy, Blaise, and Goyle, desperately climbing a very large pile in an attempt to get away from the fire. As much as Harry disliked the Slytherins, he didn't believe that anyone deserved to die like this. "We can't just leave them!" he shouted to his friend, motioning down to the wizards in question.

"You're joking, right?" Ron asked.

"Harry, perhaps you've forgotten a tiny little detail: those three were ready to _kill us_ less than five minutes ago! Not to mention, one of them actually tried!" Anya reminded her friend. "And you're telling me you want to _help_ them? Are you crazy?!"

But Harry ignored the comments and flew back. He wasn't about to give up on Malfoy and therefore Anya's happiness.

As he flew by, Harry reached out to grab Malfoy's hand to pull him up, but he slipped. Making a U-turn in the air, Harry dove again for another attempt, but Anya got to him first. Harry watched as the American witch hauled the blonde wizard up on the back of her broom, ron doing the same for Blaise. But before Harry could help Goyle, the large Slytherin grabbed on the wrong thing as he climbed. The chair came free from the pile and Goyle fell back into the very flames he created, his cries of pain dying off as the fire consumed him.

"Harry, come on!" Anya shouted as the Fiendfyre grew. Knowing that there was nothing to help Goyle, Harry flew after the others. Working as the team that they were, the Golden Quartet flew through the burning room with expert skills: Harry instructing them where to turn, Hermione and Ron using magic to push the flames out of their way as they passed through, and Anya taking up the rear to keep the flames at bay behind them.

Finally, the door came into view and at their command, they burst open. Just as the last of them flew past the threshold, something exploded in the room. The force of the blast caused Harry, Anya, and Malfoy to fall off their brooms. It didn't escape Harry's notice that Anya pushed Malfoy away when he tried to help her up.

"Harry!" Hermione shouted from ahead. The young wizard looked up to see her toss a yellowed fang at him. Catching it, he looked around for the diadem and saw that it was closer to Anya than to him.

"Anya!" The American witch looked away from the blonde fussing over her in time to see Harry toss the fang towards her. Seeing the horcrux at her feet, she caught the weapon easily and stabbed the centre stone.

As the tip of the fang pierced the diadem, Harry's scar burned and it felt as though someone had squeezed his heart in their fist. Unable to bear the pain, Harry crumbled to the floor, leaning his back against the wall to keep himself upright. This pain was the worse yet. He figured he knew what the cause of this was, but he just couldn't say it out loud.

"Harry?" Harry snapped out of it to see Anya crouched in front of him, worry and fear swimming around in her violet eyes. "Are you alright?" Harry trembled as a cold sweat hit him but he was able to nod. Anya's brow furrowed. "Are you sure?" she asked. Again, Harry nodded. Anya gave him a look. "You saw something, didn't you?"

Harry nodded a third time. "It's the snake… It's the last one," he said.

Truth was that the snake was the second to last. Harry knew it know. Truth was, he always knew, but he didn't want to admit to anyone. After all, how could one tell his friends that he himself was a horcrux of the one person they're trying to destroy and therefore to kill him, Harry must die as well? Not exactly an easy topic to bring up.

Ron stumbled forward and kneeled down beside Anya. "You need to let him in, Harry," he said. "You have to, mate," Ron insisted when Harry frantically shook his head at the mention of willingly letting Voldemort in. "If you can still see into his mind, then maybe he doesn't know about the link yet. It's our only advantage."

Looking at Anya and Hermione, Harry silently pleaded with them to argue. But just by the looks on their faces, he knew that it was a lost cause: they agreed with Ron on this one and despite the fear he felt, Harry did too.

So he concentrated and opened the link.

It felt strange diving into the thoughts of one's worst enemy. Harry could almost feel himself becoming one with Voldemort and it was without doubt the most disturbing thing ever. But it worked- Harry could feel the cool breeze on his skin, he could smell the murky Lake water, he could hear the light thump of the old boats hitting together as they rocked on the water's surface.

_"My Lord," Mr. Malfoy's voice spoke up. "Perhaps we should call of the attack on the school… for the time being. Reserve our strength, if you would… you could always seek out the boy your-"_

_The wizard was cut off with a scream of pain that echoed through the little boat house. Cold eyes glared at the pathetic excuse of a wizard that sat curled up on the floor. "I need do no such thing, Lucius," Voldemort sneered. "I have no need to seek out Harry Potter for he will come to me by tonight's end."_

_A pale hand reached up and Harry could see the Elder Wand clutched in its grasp. "Fetch me Severus, now!"_

Harry gasped as the effort to keep the link open while keeping his own thoughts blocked became too much of a strain and he had to stop. Images of Voldemort and what he was seeing vanished to show the concerned faces of Harry's friends standing before him. "The boat house," Harry told them. "Come on!"

* * *

><p><em><strong>MMM: 1 down, 3 more to go. :'(<strong>_

_**Nancy (aka megamatchmaker)**_


	92. Year 7 Ch17

_**MMM: Ladies and (probably no) gentlemen, here it is- this week's chapter. Gosh, I can't believe we're almost done. A part of me wondered when and if we'd ever get this far, but we did. Victory dance! *does little dance move* Sorry. Moving along now.**_

_**AC: What exactly are you going to do now?**_

_**MMM: Don't you mean what are **_**you_ going to do?_**

**_AC: You know what I mean._**

**_MMM: Yeah, I know... Oh hey! I forgot to tell you Anya: a long awaited revenge is finally going to be taken care of now._**

**_AC: Really? Who? What? Where? How?_**

**_MMM: Let the fans read and find out for themselves._**

* * *

><p><strong>Ch. 92 Final Farewells<strong>

The battle of Hogwarts was in full swing when the Golden Quartet reached the first floor. Malfoy had already run off somewhere, whether to help the fellow students or Death Eaters, Anya didn't know. Or maybe he just left the school all together. It didn't really matter now anyway. She just prayed that he stayed safe.

Harry's arm shot out and stopped Anya from taking another step forward only seconds before a killing curse hit inches from their feet. Ron fired a shot out into the chaos, hitting a Death Eaters coming right at them. Once the path was clear, the four friends hurried to the boat house. But their path was blocked again, the time by the last person Anya ever expected to see.

Marcus Flint.

The last time Anya the pureblood wizard had been three years ago at Malfoy Manor where Flint had tried to force himself on her. Word had leaked out about that night- undoubtedly by her ex-boyfriend, and Flint had been expelled. Anya wasn't surprised that he joined the Death Eaters.

"Well, well… Look what we have here… It's been a long time, hasn't it Collins?" Flint smirked.

"Not long enough in my opinion," Anya sneered, her knuckles turning white from clenching her fists so tightly. "Decided to join your fellow morons on Team Pathetic did you?" she barked.

Flint's laugh grated her nerves. "The only team I joined was the one that will win tonight. It's just a pity that you're on their side," he nodded towards Harry and the others. "But if you're still alive come morning, perhaps the Dark Lord will let me keep you for a pet. Then we can finish our last night together properly."

"Anya, what's he talking about?" Harry asked.

"Oh, so you haven't told them about us, have you?" flint looked almost giddy when he said that. It was true- Anya hadn't told her friends about that night. Not because she didn't want them to worry about her, but because she had felt so stupid for being so weak back then. "Perhaps we should tell them our little secret."

"There is no 'us', you freak! Now get out of my way Flint, or I'll blast you into pieces!" Anya threatened.

He didn't take the warning to heart. "A couple summers ago, I was having a wonderful evening at Malfoy Manor in the presence of a very seductive witch. But before we could _really_ have some fun, Draco came and interrupted. And then by an 'anonymous' source, stories about how I 'forced myself' on girls got around making me look the bad guy, and I got expelled!" Flint sneered.

Anya glared at the jerk. "People tend to be the bad guy when they try to rape a girl!" she spat out, ignoring the collective gasps from her friends when they put the pieces together.

"You were asking for it!" Flint barked. "Dressing the way you did, and when a bloke called your bluff, you acted all innocent when you're nothing more than a slut! You and I both know that the only reason the Minister believed a word of what Draco said was because of his family's wealth! Well, I'll be sure to not let him get in my way again."

Anya saw red. She could handle being called a slut- she'd been called worse. But when Flint threatened Draco, he signed his life away. "I'd like to see you try," she growled. And before the dark wizard could even blink, Anya pointed her wand at his and shouted, "_Expelliarmus!"_

The spell hit Flint directly in his chest. Anya and the others watched as he flew backwards from the force of the blow and into the air before crashing on a pile of rubble behind him. It was impossible to miss the murderous look on his face when he pushed himself up. But just as he was about to retaliate, a group of acromantulas appeared around him. Flint tried to fight them off, but there were just too many of the giant spiders. A small, dark part of Anya's heart found extreme pleasure when she heard Flint's screams as he was devoured.

"We should go," Harry suggest, pulling Anya away from the scene. Anya took one last glimpse at the justice finally delivered before hurrying after her friends.

The Golden Quartet ducked and dove through the courtyard, avoiding the Death Eater, giants, acromantulas and every other thing that was against them under the night sky. Occasionally, something or someone would get in their way, but they were able to handle it. As they got to the front gate, they were greeted with the sight of a hundred or so dementors, each as menacing as the last. Luckily, Alberforth Dumbledore had arrived and used a patronus that was so powerful; it swatted the dementors away like a bug-zapper.

"Let's go!" Ron shouted as they hurried down the stone stairway that led to the boat house.

,:~:,

Harry wasn't sure what he would find at the boat house. For all he knew, Voldemort was already gone with that pet snake of his. Then again, maybe he was there and the vision he'd seen was merely a trap. It wouldn't be the first time Voldemort had done that to him. The only thing that mattered was getting that blasted snake!

Slipping along the wet stones of the shoreline, the Golden Quartet got to their destination. When they heard voices come from inside, they crouched down low and crawled to the windows. Peeking through the stained glass, Harry saw Voldemort's figure walking back and forth as he talked to the other wizard in the room- Severus Snape. A faint glow from above their heads caught Harry's attention and he saw Nagini, the snake, hovering in an enchanted starry sphere, no doubt a very high-level protection spell. Voldemort undoubtedly had figured out what had happened to his other horcruxes and was now doing all he could to protect the last of them.

"I have a problem, Severus," snake-faced wizard announced to his companion. He held up the sliver of wood in his hand- the Elder Wand.

"My- my Lord?" Severus stammered. "I do not understand. You- you have performed extraordinary magic-"

"No," the dark wizard cut off his follower. "I have performed only my usual magic. _I_ am extraordinary, but this wand… It has not revealed the wonders that it promises. It is no different than that which I had procured from Ollivander all those years ago." His tone was calm, but Harry could tell just how furious he was.

When Snape tried to make Voldemort see reason about allowing him to go seek out Harry, that only seemed to infuriate the dark wizard more. And the angrier he became, the more and more Harry's scar continued to burn. The pain became so intense that Harry had to bite down on his fist to keep from screaming out.

And then suddenly, he _was_ Voldemort, looking through his eyes at the face of a very pale Severus Snape.

"I have sat here throughout the night while on the brink of victory, wondering why the Elder Wand refuses to perform as the legends say. But I believe that I know the reason why now," Voldemort began. "The Elder Wand cannot serve me properly for I am not its true master. The Elder Wand belongs to the wizard that had killed its previous owner." Recognition dawned in Snape's eyes at those words. Harry saw the man's mouth open and close as he slowly backed away. "You killed Albus Dumbledore, Severus, and therefore, if I wish for the Elder Wand to serve me, only I can live forever. I must say that I do regret what must be done- you have been a good and faithful servant." With that, Voldemort swiped at the air with the powerful wand.

At first, Harry thought nothing had happened because Snape was still standing. But then, the floating sphere flew through the air and encased the potion master's head and shoulders. The snake bit repeatedly at the man's neck, ripping the flesh and injecting its deadly venom into his bloodstream over and over again. And when Voldemort waved his arm again, the sphere lifted and Snape slowly crumbled to the ground. Without the slightest remorse, Voldemort left with his pet.

Once the coast was clear, Harry got up and beckoned his friends to follow him as he headed inside. When they opened the door, they were greeted with the sight of blood.

Harry didn't know why he was approaching the dying man: Snape hated him as much as he hated Snape, had always done what he could to tear Harry down. But for some reason, Harry just couldn't see himself letting this man die alone.

Snape's eyes grew wide at the sight of the four teens before him. When Harry knelt down to try and stop the blood, the older wizard grabbed him by the front of his shirt and pulled him closer. As Harry watched, a single tear leaked out of the corner of Snape's eye and within the clear drop, a silvery blue swirled around inside. "Take them… please," Snape said, the words coming out raspy and gurgled as he choked on his own blood. Hermione quickly handed over a tiny vial to Harry and he caught the lone tear.

"Look at me," Snape whispered. Harry looked into Snape's eyes and he saw a peaceful expression flash through them. "You have your mother's eyes," he smiled. And at that, the light of life vanished from within the dark orbs, leaving them fixed on nothing, empty and cold.

Severus Snape was dead.

Anya felt sick to her stomach. Sure, Snape was a grade-A asshole who had enjoyed torturing them for years and she couldn't say that she'd miss him desperately, but even he didn't deserve to die the way he did.

"Do you need the pevensieve?" Anya asked her friend as she began to rummage through her bag for the stone bowl. But just as her fingers wrapped around the rim of it, a sharp pain shot through her skull with a force that brought her to her knees. Reaching up, she grasped at the side of her head as a gasp escaped her lips.

_"You have fought valiantly," _Voldemort's voiced echoed in her head as it had earlier that evening. _"You have sustained heavy losses. If you continue, you will all die one by one. I do not wish this to happen: every drop of magical blood spilt is a great loss. But I am merciful; therefore, I command my forces to retreat. Dispose of your dead with dignity._

_ "I speak now, Harry Potter, directly to you. You have allowed your friends to die for you rather than face me yourself. I shall wait in the Forbidden Forest for you to face me to die with dignity. If you do not arrive within the hour, I shall kill every man, woman, and child that tries to conceal you from me. You have one hour."_ And then, the pain began to fade away.

"Harry, don't tell me you're actually thinking of doing as he says?" Ron exclaimed.

Harry simply ignored the question by changing the subject. "Let's get back to the castle," he suggested. And without waiting for an answer, he hurried out of the door and back up the path, Ron and Hermione following closely behind.

As Anya was about to get up to follow, her gaze fell on Snape's still form. She didn't just want to leave him there like that. _'I should at least close his eyes,'_ she thought. Sighing, she crouched back down and gently reached out to close his eyes, then took off her jacket and draped it over his head in respect. After that, she hurried after her friends.

,:~:,

The castle was eerily quiet. There were no people or spells being fired, no cried of fear or pain- nothing. Nothing but rubble and smoking piles of ash. "Where is everyone?" Hermione asked as they walked through the deserted courtyard.

"I guess they must be in the Great Hall,' Anya replied.

When they opened the doors to the Great Hall, Anya felt her blood run cold.

History always talked about the great wars throughout the years where there were hundreds that were wounded, fatal or not, and the many lives lost through it all. How those who survived were scarred physically, mentally, and emotionally for the rest of their lives. About the countless families that mourned the loss of loved ones. Tonight's battle was no exception. Looking around, Anya saw fellow witches and wizards- her _friends_- nursing the wounds they received in battle.

But the worse of it all was the bodies. There were so many.

Each of the fallen comrades was laid out on the dirty floors, some with frightened looks on their faces, others with peaceful expressions as though they were simply sleeping. A few had large black sheets draped over them, either to give a respect of privacy or because the sight was too gruesome to look at. The thing that really twisted Anya's insides was who some of these people were: students- young witches and wizards who barely even began their lives and now would never to the chance to. Anya nearly threw up when she saw the body of an eleven year-old boy laying on the ground, his eyes wide with fright.

Something else that really made Anya feel sick was seeing the bodies of Tonks and Remus laying there. A few months back, Tonks had their first child, a cute baby boy they named Teddy. Anya's heart ached at the thought that the sweet little boy would never get to know his parents except from stories he'd be told.

A sudden gasp beside her brought Anya's attention to Ron to see him rush towards the front of the room where his family was. A chill gripped her heart as she hurried after him, the faces of the Weasley family members etched in sorrow. "No… No, _NO!_" Anya cried out when she was close enough to see Fred's body laid out on the ground at her feet. The sobs that came out of her shook her fragile frame so harshly that she dropped to her knees. Reaching out a trembling hand, she swept back the bangs that covered his face. "Freddy… _please _wake up," she begged, but there was no waking up from this nightmare.

A hand gently reached out and touched Anya's shoulder. Looking through her tears, she saw a familiar head of platinum blonde hair. Desperately needing the comfort of someone- _anyone_, Anya pushed herself to her feet and flung into Draco's arms. He didn't say anything and just simply held her close to him, stroking her hair as she cried into his chest, letting out all of her pain and anger.

It felt like she couldn't breathe. The stress, the over-whelming sense of sorrow that hung in the air like a dark cloud… It became too much. Black spots began to dart around in the corner of her view and then it was complete darkness.

,:~:,

Draco caught Anya's weak frame in his arms as she fainted. Picking her up bridal style, he carried her over to the nearest bench and laid her down before kneeling beside her. Draco's heart ached at the sight before him: an ashen-white face streaked with dirt and tear tracks, sunken eyes rimmed pink, and a frown on her face even in her unconscious state. Looking at the rest of Anya's form, Draco frowned at seeing how dangerously thin she had become. This did not look at all like the girl he knew and loved.

Taking a clean rag from a nearby bowl of fresh water, Draco carefully began to wipe at her skin to clean it. There were a few scrapes and bruises, but thankfully, he didn't see anything too severe.

"Is she alright?" Draco turned at the sound of a girl's voice to see a dishevelled Vi Smith standing there.

"Just fainted," he replied as he got up and walked over to her. "What about you?" he asked when he noticed the bit of dried blood that hid just at the end of her hairline.

Vi gave a light shrug and nodded as she pulled him into a hug. "I'm fine… It's good to see you again, Draco," she whispered. Pulling away, she turned to Anya and gently shook her shoulder. "Anya… Anya, come on girl- wake up," she encouraged.

Violet eyes slowly blinked open as Anya slowly came to. "Vi? Is that you?" she mumbled. Looking around, recognition crept into her eyes as she took in her surroundings. "I thought I was dreaming it all," she said sadly as she pushed up to a sitting position, her hand clamping to her forehead as she tried to stop the flow of fresh tears. "He's really gone…"

"Who's gone?" Vi asked.

Anya sniffled. "Fred," she croaked out before the sobs once again shook her to the core. Draco sat down beside Anya and wrapped his arm around her shoulder, bringing her into his side while she cried.

"Vi! Anya!" another voice called out, bringing the small group's attention to Ivan Petrov as he came running towards them. As soon as he was close enough, he pulled Vi into a protective embrace. "Thank Merlin! I was so worried I lost you!" he exhaled with relief.

"Don't worry about me, I'm fine. But that cut…" Vi worried, her finger hovering over the long thin line on the Bulgarian wizard's right cheek. Draco noticed a ring on her left hand.

"It's nothing," Ivan insisted, taking her hand in his and bringing it to his lips where he placed a tender kiss on the back of her hand. "I'll be alright. But what about all of you? Where are your friends, Anya?"

At the mention of her friends, Anya pulled away from Draco and looked around the room. Draco looked and saw Weasley with the rest of his family, grieving over the loss of his older brother, while Granger stood a little off to the side, giving the family a moment of privacy. But no Potter. "I've gotta go," Anya said before she pulled away completely and ran off.

Draco would have gone after her, but he wasn't sure whether she wanted him around or not. Sure, she may have let him hold her a few minutes ago, but she was in despair and needed some kind of human contact. He wasn't sure if there was any kind of future where he could be with Anya again.

"Draco?" Vi whispered. Looking back at the Irish witch, he saw that her green gaze was fixed on his left arm and looking down at it, he saw that his sleeve had rolled up high enough on his arm to show part of his Dark Mark. "Is that…"

"Let me explain-" Draco tried to begin, but was cut off when Ivan pointed his wand threateningly at his throat.

"And why should we believe anything you have to say?" the Bulgarian growled. "You're one of _them_!"

"No! I swear to you, I'm not!" Draco pleaded.

"It's true." Three sets of eyes turned to see a younger student- an eleven year-old girl- standing there. "I saw him before, fighting on our side. He even saved my life from some weird werewolf guy. I don't think he's really one of them," the child said before she carefully walked up to Draco and wrapped her arms around his waist. "Thanks for saving me," she said before letting go and running off again.

"If you're not one of them, then why do you have the Dark Mark?" Ivan asked, ever-still the sceptical.

"It must have been forced on him, Ivan," Vi scoffed as she pushed past him towards the blonde. "You've heard what his dad is like. Don't be so hard on him."

It was times like this that Draco was glad he had Vi as his friend.

* * *

><p><strong><em>AC: Why did you kill Tonks and Remus?!<em>**

**_MMM: JK Rowling did it, not me!_**

**_AC: But what about all of that 'artistic license' crap you keep telling us about?_**

**_MMM: I've used up the majority of it on this story in order to put you in!_**

**_AC: But you killed them!_**

**_MMM: Trust me, I didn't want to. But I didn't really have a choice!_**

**_Bye everyone!_**

**_Nancy (aka megamatchmaker)_**


	93. Year 7 Ch18

_**MMM: Trick or treat, everyone! This isn't a trick, it's a treat- another chapter! The time has come for it.**_

_**AC: I love Halloween!**_

_**MMM: So do I! It's just so much fun to let your creative side out and let the imagination run wild.**__**AC: Any plans for tonight?**_

_**MMM: Just a movie-fest with my sister. Munch on some popcorn and candy, a lil' fun... My usual thing. But anyway, let's get to it!**_

* * *

><p><strong>Ch. 93 Time to End This &amp; The Truth of the Elder Wand<strong>

Anya was frantically pushing her way through the crowd as she searched for Ron and Hermione, mentally cursing Harry out in every language she knew. Using the four-point spell, she finally found Harry up in the Headmaster's office area. He said nothing to her except to ask for the pevensieve; once she had given it to him, he slammed the door in her face. He may have locked her out physically, but Anya knew her friend well enough to know what he was planning. Harry was going to watch the memories Snape had given him before he'd go to Voldemort.

Anya knew there was no chance in hell that she could convince Harry to change his mind, there never was. Especially when Anya knew the real reason behind his decision. It wasn't just because he didn't want to see anyone else die because of him, but because he knew he _had_ to die.

Harry Potter was a horcrux.

It all made sense: Harry's ability to speak Parseltongue, the strange mind-connection between him and Voldemort, how Harry could sense the other horcruxes. It was because he was a horcrux himself- a part of Voldemort's soul was somehow transferred to him at some point and was currently living inside of him. If they wanted to kill Voldemort for good, then Harry would have to die as well.

Which was why Anya was so desperate to find Ron and Hermione. She didn't want their last moments of their friend to be how they all fought for their lives in the middle of the greatest battle of all time.

"Anya, there you are!" The American witch stopped in her tracks and spun around to see the very two people she was looking for. "We've been looking all over for you. Where's Harry?" Hermione asked.

"Actually, that's why I've been looking for _you_. Come on!" Not waiting to explain anything, Anya turned on her heel and ran back the way she came, Ron and Hermione following close behind.

They were halfway up the stairs in the Grand Entrance when they spotted Harry coming around the corner. Anya figured that whatever he had seen in Snape's memories must have been pretty intense to have him in such a stunned state. As he walked by them, he said nothing and simply handed the pevensieve back to Anya.

"Harry…" Anya called out, finally catching Harry's attention. "You're really going to do it, aren't you?" she sighed.

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked.

"Mate, you can't! You'll be doing exactly what he wants!" Ron proclaimed.

"There's no other way," Harry insisted. He then began to talk about how he knew what the connection between him and Voldemort was, confirming what they all pretty much knew for a while now. When Hermione offered to go with him so that he wouldn't spend the last few minutes of his life alone, Harry refused. "No… You three need to do whatever it takes to destroy the snake," he explained.

No longer able to hold it in anymore, Anya jumped forward and wrapped her arms tightly around Harry's neck and buried her face into his shoulder as she cried. "Goodbye… I'm really going to miss you… _brother_." Harry's arms wrapped around her shaking frame at that. Harry would always be her brother, blood or not.

As the tears slipped down their faces and hugs were exchanged, Ron, Hermione, and Anya stood there with heavy hearts as they watched their friend walk off to face his death.

"We should probably go back to the Great Hall," Ron eventually suggested, holding a sobbing Hermione in his arms. "Mum should know… Ginny too."

Anya exhaled a shaky breath and tried to stand tall, but she felt her resolve crumble to the ground at her feet. It wouldn't have shocked her if her friends could hear the breaking of what remained of her broken heart as weight of her sorrow crushed the last of it into nothing. "Let's go then."

,:~:,

Draco was exhausted as the dawn rolled in. He'd spent the last several hours doing what he could to help: rushing back and forth to bring fresh bandages to the healers or helping the wounded around the room. He hadn't seen Anya since she had left and with each minute that passed by, his anxiety grew worse and worse. He prayed that she was alright.

Looking around, Draco saw how badly this war had affected everyone. The school he loved so much was in wreck, the friends he made laid dead or dying… And his father expected him to be proud of this? To join what had caused all the pain and sorrow around him? Draco grew up always trying to please his father, but nothing he did was ever good enough. And in trying so desperately to gain his father's approval, Draco never noticed just how much he was becoming like his father.

When Anya suddenly appeared in the doorway, Draco was shaken to the core as he looked upon the cold expression that was on her tear-stained face. The haunting, blank look in her eyes was almost inhuman, and Draco didn't like the look of it. But before he could even think of walking over to her, Anya walked over to another group of injured students and threw herself into her work to patch them up. Knowing that there was no way of having a conversation with her in this state, Draco turned and continued to work.

The sun was just peeking out from behind the nearby mountains when things started up.

A startled gasp caught Draco's attention and he looked up just as the Weasley girl rushed out the door, ignoring the concerned words from her father. As soon as he saw Anya hurry out after her, Draco was quick to follow.

A shiver of dread ran through his system when he saw the Dark Lord slowly approaching the school, his followers close behind. Two of them were tugging on ropes that connected to a metal collar around Hagrid's neck, pulling him along as he carried Harry Potter's body in his arms.

"Who is that? That Hagrid's carrying?" Ginny's voice trembled as she watched on. Anya had to hold on tight to the younger witch when the Dark Lord announced that Potter was dead. It looked like it took all of Anya's will power to stay up on her own two feet, let alone hold back a distressed teenage girl. Luckily, Arthur Weasley came and took his grieving daughter into his arms.

The Dark Lord then continued to gloat about how he killed Potter as he 'tried to run away'. Draco knew that this was a lie, just an attempt to drag the younger wizard's name through the mud even in death. "From now on, you put your faith in _me_," he smirked. "It's time to swear your allegiance. Join us- or die!"

No one made a move.

"Draco!" a voice hissed, breaking the silence. Looking to where the voice had come from, the young wizard saw his father push his way through the group of dark wizards, his mother close behind her husband. "Draco… Come here," Lucius insisted with a hiss, demanding for his son to join them.

At any other point of his life, Draco would have listened to his father. As it was, every instinct told him to do as he was told. But when he looked at his mother, he saw that knowing gleam in her eyes and he knew what to do. He could practically hear her voice in his head saying, "_Follow you heart._"

Carefully making his way through the crowd, Draco slowly walked to the front. The Dark Lord smiled, thinking that Draco was returning under his command, but the smile turned to a sneer when the young wizard stopped at Anya's side. Draco turned to Anya and he saw that her eyes were clenched shut, an expression of physical pain etched on her face. Pulling the chain from his neck, he pulled off the ring he'd given her years ago, and slipped it back onto her finger. Violet eyes snapped open and looked down at her hand before back up at him. Draco smiled warmly at her and tied the chain back on his neck, the tiny lion and snake pendant twinkling in the morning light.

People were shocked that the next person that walked forward was Neville Longbottom. He was normally so quiet and shy that when he gave such a speech about how the fight wasn't over and that Voldemort would die in the end, everyone was stunned. Then suddenly, he pulled a glittering silver sword from the Sorting hat that had been clutched in his hand.

,:~:,

Anya hardly had time to register everything going on around her. Harry, who had pretended to be dead, flung himself from Hagrid's arms and began to shoot spells at Voldemort, who barely dodged them. Most of the Death Eaters apparated when they saw their master's greatest enemy come back from the dead. If it weren't for the fact that they were in the middle of a war, Anya would probably be hugging Harry to death or possibly hitting him upside the head for scaring her like that.

"How the hell are you alive?!" Anya shouted to her friend as everyone turned to the safety of the castle.

"It's a long story," he replied. "Right now, we need to focus on killing that snake!"

"Leave it to us!" Ron exclaimed as he ran with Hermione in tow, basilisk fangs clutched tightly in their free hands.

"We're in too!" Draco insisted. Anya gave him a thankful smile and squeezed his hand.

But just as she was about to suggest a plan, a dark cloud flew overhead, Bellatrix's cackling voice echoing off the stone walls. Anya's arm stung where the cuts had pulled open in the fight and the thought of the witch who put them there made Anya's blood boil with unbridled fury.

"We can take care of it. Anya, why don't you go take out the trash?" Harry suggested. Anya looked back and knew that he understood the anger she felt and how she needed justice. And he was giving it to her.

With a smile, Anya nodded to her friends before taking Draco's hand again and hurrying into the Great Hall. "Don't forget to kick some ass, people! And you better come back in one piece or you'll regret it!"

As she and Draco burst through the doors of the Great Hall, Anya's eyes zero-ed in on Bellatrix like heat-seeking missles, the anger and loathing she felt towards the witch only fueling her drive. Bellatrix was currently fighting Mrs. Weasley. Anya heard the redhead say something along the lines of "Not my daughter, you bitch!" and she couldn't help but let out a chuckle at the woman's choice of words. She agreed whole-heartedly, but it was still amusing to hear that kind of language come from Mrs. Weasley.

When Mrs. Weasley blasted Bellatrix off her feet, the dark witch landed in a heap at Anya's feet. Draco moved to place himself between Anya and his crazed aunt, but she moved to stand at his side instead. No more hiding.

Bellatrix looked up and when she saw Anya, she sneered at her. "I remember you- the Irish mudblood. You and your friends took my wand," she growled as she pushed herself up on shaky legs.

"First off, I'm not Irish- I'm American. And second, you took mine first and gave me a little souvenir for it. Figured it was time to return the favor!" And with that, Anya attacked.

Bellatrix made the first real move by trying to fire a curse, but Anya saw it coming and she kicked the wand right out of Bellatrix's hand. Then when Bellatrix tried to attack with her bare hands, Anya's old defense classes took control. Moving away from Draco, the American blocked the first two swings and threw a punch of her own that hit Bellatrix squarely in the gut. Grabbing a fistful of ratty black hair, she yanked Bellatrix's head down and head-butted her hard with her knee. And while the dark witch was hunched over, Anya kicked her hard in the chest. "Mrs. Weasley, now!" she shouted.

Mrs. Weasley shot a spell at Bellatrix and Anya watched as the dark haired witch froze and was sort of sucked in on herself almost like a body being prepared for mummification at fast speed. Anya watched with a strange sense of exhilaration as fear crept into Bellatrix's eyes as the knowledge that she was done for finally hit her. And with one final kick into the chest from Anya, Bellatrix shattered into pieces. And that was the end of Bellatrix Lestrange.

Anya felt the weight of the world finally lift off her chest, letting her breathe properly for the first time in months. A pair of arms carefully wrapped around her waist and she almost sighed with relief. If it weren't for the fact that they were currently in the middle of a war, she would most likely have turned around and kissed Draco, but now was definitely not the time. Instead, she grabbed his hand and hurried off to help the others.

,:~:,

Draco fired another spell at an on-coming Death Eater, Anya doing the same as she watched his back. He noticed Weasley and Granger hurrying down the steps of the Grand staircase, that wretched snake Nagini slithering behind them. Draco had seen just how vicious it could be when it was simply _hungry_, and now it looked like it was severely pissed off. Giving Anya a light nudge, he nodded in the direction of her friends and when she saw, she hurried into the danger not caring about anything other than helping her friends. Draco hurried after her.

Anya fired a spell at Nagini, but the spark of light bounced off the serpent, no doubt the work of a protection charm. Nagini turned its ugly head to see who dared to interrupt its chase and gave a menacing hiss at the American. Anya, of course, didn't back down and fired another hex at the snake only for it to bounce off like the first one had. Nagini hissed and began to advance on Anya and Draco.

Draco grabbed Anya's hand and ran.

"Where are the fangs?" Anya yelled at her friends as they all dodged around fallen debris to get away from the snake.

"We lost the last of them!" Weasley shouted back.

Granger let out a yelp as her foot caught on a large rock, causing her to trip and pull the redhead down with her. Anya tugged on Draco's hand to stop him and turned back to help her friends. They reached Anya's friends just as Nagini did. Thinking that this was the end, Draco clutched Anya close and shielded her with his body. But he never felt the pain of poisonous fangs slicing into his skin.

Looking up, Draco saw none other than Neville Longbottom towering over them, the silver sword he had earlier glinting red with blood. The snake's head tumbled to the ground where Neville had cut through its neck like a hot knife through butter, and then the remains slowly crumbled into pieces and fluttered away on the wind. "Way to go, Neville," Anya gasped out with a weak chuckle. "Always knew you had it in you."

Neville exhaled and let out a breathy "Thanks."

A sudden noise brought their attention to the front entrance of the castle and the five teens hurried out the door to see what it was.

It was Voldemort and Potter. The arch-enemies had crash-landed in the empty courtyard several feet from one another, and everything went silent. Draco watched from afar as the two wizards scrambled for their wands and fired spells at each other. Green and red met in the middle and although the spells were both equally powerful, it looked as though Voldemort was weak and getting weaker with each passing moment. And before he knew it, the Elder Wand- the most powerful wand in the world- flew from Voldemort's grasp, into the air, and Potter caught it as it came towards him.

It happened as if the world had slowed down. The dark wizard simply knelt there, head raised to the sky and as they continued to watch, he let out a rattling gasp/scream as he crumbled into tiny flecks that swirled in the winds until they eventually just floated away into nothing.

Voldemort was officially and finally dead.

,:~:,

Harry walked into the Great Hall and looked around. The news of Voldemort's true demise took only minutes for everyone to hear about, and he could feel the relief pour off of everyone there. Few were currently being patched up or grieving over the loss of their loved ones or rejoicing over the victory of freedom. The few Death Eaters that remained had been captured and bound, their wands instantly snapped.

"Harry…" Hagrid's voice called out. Looking up at the half-giant, Harry could see tears forming in those warm eyes before he was wrapped up in a hug that literally picked him up off his feet. Then he was set back down and Hagrid left, mumbling about going to see Grawp. Watching the man leave the room, Harry saw Hermione and Ron walk in hand-in-hand.

"Good to see you in one piece, mate," Ron smiled as he and his girlfriend came close.

"Likewise," Harry beamed, giving Ron a high-five. He barely had a chance to steady himself as Hermione let go of Ron's hand and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck. "Umm… Hermione? I need to breathe, you know."

"Calm down, 'Mione," Anya's voice called from behind Harry. "The guy didn't just come back from the dead and defeat his greatest enemy only to be smothered to death," she chuckled. Pulling away from Hermione, Harry saw the American witch walk up with her signature mega-watt smile on her face and Malfoy's arm leisurely draped over her shoulders. If it weren't for the fact that Anya looked so happy where she was, Harry would probably have blasted the blonde back as far as possible. But before he could do anything, Anya came over and gave him a hug. "So it's really over now, isn't it?" she asked.

"Yeah, it is," Malfoy replied. Harry saw him rub at his left arm where his Dark Mark was barely visible. If that alone wasn't proof enough, the fact that Harry's scar felt as if it didn't even exist anymore was. Anya smiled reassuringly at Malfoy and tucked herself into his side.

"And we're sure that Voldemort didn't have any other horcruxes lying around somewhere or some other kind of magic-revival tricks that he could use?" Anya stressed. When Harry shook his head, Anya let out a loud sigh of relief. "Well, it's about time! I mean, seriously- how many lives did that guy have? It was like he was a cat or something! The whole revival, rise-from-the-grave thing was already done." Everyone chuckled at that.

The Harry nodded his head towards the door, silently telling them that he wanted to talk to them in private. Hermione and Ron were out the door first. Anya turned to Malfoy to say something but before she could, the blonde smile reassuringly. "Go on- I need to go see if Mother is alright," he said. Anya smiled and gave him a peck on the cheek before grabbing Harry's hand and hurrying off after the others.

"So… I take it you two are together again?" Harry questioned.

Anya gave him a shrug as she let go of his hand and linked her arm around his. "I wouldn't necessarily go straight to that, but…" She twisted a silver ring on her finger. "I can tell you that he has a lot of making up for what he's done. There's some serious grovelling and ass-kissing in his near future," she added.

Harry laughed merrily. It felt so good to do that again. "I sure don't want to be Malfoy."

,:~:,

Anya kicked at a small rock on the ground as she walked with her friends along the stone bridge. _'For needing to talk, it sure has been damn quiet,'_ she thought. Anya wasn't really sure what Harry wanted to talk about but she knew what _she_ wanted to talk about.

"Why didn't it work for him? The Elder Wand," Hermione asked the million dollar question.

Harry, who had been twirling the wand in question, looked up at the brunette. "Voldemort thought that Snape had been the one who defeated Dumbledore. But although it was Snape that had killed him, it was Malfoy who disarmed Dumbledore. From then on, the wand answered to him. Until…" He looked back at the wand in his hand. "That night at Malfoy Manor… when I disarmed him. The wand found a new owner that night."

"But then that means-" Ron gasped.

Harry shrugged. "It's mine," he finished as if the information was nothing special, that the most powerful wand in existence belonging to him was no big deal. He didn't even seem to notice the stunned expressions his friends were sporting.

"So… What are we going to do with it?" Ron asked once he finally got over his shock.

"'We'?" Hermione scoffed at her boyfriend, unable to believe him. Anya gave him a rather icy look. The wand was Harry's to do with as he pleases, not Ron's.

The redhead gave Hermione a look. "I'm just saying… That's the Elder Wand- the most powerful wand in the world. With that, we'd be invincible!"

Anya had to admit that there was a certain appeal to the wand's unlimited abilities. A wand like that wouldn't just be ideal for battle; it could be used for medical research, to break the barrier between life and death even. But Anya wasn't a fool. She knew that power like that had as many cons as it did pros, responsibility being one of them. Since he was a child, Harry had been stuck with tremendous amounts of responsibility, but being the owner of the Elder Wand was most likely more than he could take. Not to mention, the wand had a particularly bad history of tragic endings for its previous owners- not exactly the kind of thing anyone would want.

Anya looked at Harry and just by the look on his face, she knew what he was thinking. So it didn't come as a surprise when he took the sliver of wood and snapped it into four pieces, making it useless. She almost laughed at the shocked expressions Ron and Hermione sported. "Together?" the dark haired wizard asked as he held out three of the pieces.

"With pleasure," Anya said with a smile as she pushed past Ron and Hermione and jumped up onto the railing beside Harry, taking one of the pieces. Once their friends shook off their stupor and joined them in taking the other two, she looked out on the drop they were facing. "I'll start us off.' And with that, Anya wound up like a baseball pitcher and threw her piece of the Elder Wand out into the water down below. It was followed closely by the other three.

Harry jumped down from the railing and helped Anya down as Ron did the same for Hermione. Linking her arm around Harry's, Anya took in a deep breath and smiled at how relieved she felt. The bad guy was gone for good, there was no need to run and hide… Now Anya could go find her parents and live her life the way she wanted to; graduate from med school, get married and have a family- all of it. The world was hers.

"So…" Anya looked beside her to see Ron come up from behind, Hermione's hand clasped in his. "What do we do now?" he asked.

Taking her friend's free hand in hers, Anya tugged Ron and Hermione closer. "That's the beauty of it," she said as she leaned her head on Harry's shoulder, "whatever we want to."

"Well, I don't know about you, but I could go for a decent meal and a proper night's rest," Harry suggested.

* * *

><p><em><strong>MMM: And that's it! Voldemort's dead! Finally!<strong>_

_**VDM: *figure appears in mist* What was that you were saying? *grins wickedly***_

_**MMM: That's it! *pulls out dust buster* Say bye-bye, bad guy! *sucks up Voldemort* That should do it.**_

_**AC: Nice work.**_

_**MMM: Thanks. Well, that's it for this episode. And that's it for this chapter. Next week is the final posting, people! *whimpers***_

_**Nancy (aka megamatchmaker)**_

_**PS: HAPPY HALLOWEEN!**_


	94. EPILOGUE- 19 Years Later

_**MMM: I can't believe it... It's over now... To be honest, I never thought that it would take me 3 years to write this story. And yet, now that it's done, I feel like it could have gone longer. Crazy, huh?**_

_**AC: Tell me about it. You've put me through so much shit that I can hardly believe that I lived through it.**_

_**MMM: Yeah... Shall we then, for the final time?**_

_**AC: Yes. Please do.**_

* * *

><p><strong>Ch. 94 Epilogue- 19 Years Later<strong>

"I can't believe it! I'm finally going to Hogwarts!" Draco smiled at how excited his son Scorpius was acting. The young blonde wizard was finally old enough to begin his magical training. When Scorpius received his acceptance letter, he had been ecstatic and had barely stopped smiling since. Draco just hoped that his son would have a better, calmer experience than he had during his time there- one where there wouldn't be danger lurking around every corner. "I wonder which house I'll be in," Scorpius commented.

"Knowing you, you'll probably end up in Hufflepuff house," fourteen year-old Joshua Malfoy teased his little brother. "You're too much of a whimp for anything else."

Scorpius glared. "I am not a whimp!" he shouted as he moved to attack his brother. But Joshua was quicker and dove to the side, wrapped his arm around Scorpius' shoulders and locked him into place while he proceeded to rub his knuckles against the boy's head. "Let go! Dad!" he whined.

"Joshua, leave your brother be!" a voice called. Draco looked behind him and smiled when he saw his wife and daughter making their way through the crowd.

Joshua instantly let go of his little brother. "Yes, Mum," he answered humbly, though a little smirk appeared on his face when he saw Scorpius rubbing at his sore head.

Young Aleah Malfoy rolled her grey eyes at her twin brother's childish behaviour. "Seriously, Josh, I thought Gryffindors are supposed to be brave and courageous, not a bunch of children. It's no wonder why we Slytherins were able to beat you so easily last year," she smirked as she tucked a lock of hair behind her ear.

It was Joshua's turn to glare at a sibling. "You just wait, Ali- this year we're going to beat you so bad, you'll think that you got run over by a stampede of centaurs!" he warned.

The teen witch merely chuckled. "Yeah right! That'll be the day!"

"Behave you two!" Draco warned his children as he walked over to his wife's side and wrapped his arm around her waist. "Darling, you shouldn't be up on your feet for so long. You remember what the healer said," he worried.

Anya laughed as she placed her hand over his where it rested on her slightly swollen belly. "Draco, you do remember that I'm a healer too, right? I'm only starting my fourth month of pregnancy and you're acting as if I just came out of open-heart surgery and trying to run a marathon or something. Besides, I wasn't going to miss seeing my baby boy off." She wiped at her eyes. "Stupid hormones," she grumbled.

Draco smiled. Nineteen years and three children later, and she was still the beautiful, confident woman that he met and fell in love with. Looking into her violet eyes, he could feel himself fall in love with her all over again as he did that faithful first night at Hogwarts. "Doesn't change the fact that I worry about you," he told her.

Draco just couldn't believe his good fortune. He was happily married to the woman he loved, had a good home and job, and three amazing children. Aleah, who was the oldest of the twins by two minutes, was as confident and intelligent as her mother, with long auburn hair and silver-grey eyes. As the only girl, Draco spoiled her constantly, earning her the nickname 'Daddy's Slytherin Princess'. Joshua, the real prankster of the family, had his mother's auburn hair which he kept very short and her violet eyes. His humor was infectious and his gentlemanly fashion made him quite popular with most of the girls at school. Scorpius, the current youngest of the children, was a spitting image of his father down to the Malfoy smirk. Draco hoped that the next child would be a girl who would look just like her mother, another little princess to spoil.

Aleah came up to her mother and linked arms with her. "Don't worry, Mum- I'll keep an eye on Scorpius. He won't get into any trouble," she said. "Though I don't think there's anything he could do that doesn't compare to the kind of trouble you and Dad got into," she teased.

Anya laughed and placed a kiss on her daughter's forehead. "It's not Scorpius I'm worried about." Leaning closer, she stage-whispered. "My friends and I were the ones that got into trouble the most often, not your father. And since we were all in Gryffindor, I'm hoping that Joshua won't try to do the same," she chuckled. Looking down at her watch, she let out a tiny gasp. "We have to go or we'll miss the train!"

After stepping through the entry to platform nine and three-quarters, the Malfoy family had the children's luggage loaded onto the train and then waited for the others to show up. At the first glimpse of ginger-red hair, Anya pushed her way through the crowd and wrapped her arms around Ron's neck. "It's so good to see you guys!" she cheered as she moved to hug Hermione. "And how are you two doing?" she asked their kids Rose and Hugo. "Ready for your first year, Rosey?" she beamed.

"You bet!" Rose cheered.

Looking back at Hermione, Anya asked, "Have you guys seen Harry and Ginny yet?"

"No, not yet," Hermione replied as she hugged Draco and Anya's kids in hello. "But if they don't show soon, they'll miss the train."

"Looking for us, are you?" another voice asked and Draco turned to see the Potter family standing behind them.

"Auntie Anya!" little Lily Potter cheered as she flung herself out from under her mother's arm and into Anya's. Though the auburn haired witch wasn't actually related to the Potters by blood or marriage, all of them considered her to be as much of an aunt/sister as they did Hermione.

"Hey! There's my goddaughter!" Anya smiled as she picked up the young girl. "How you doing, sweetie-pie?"

Lily looked up and it was impossible to miss the frown on her face. "It's not fair! James and Albus get to go to Hogwarts and I can't! Why do I have to wait another whole year? My eleventh birthday is only a few months away! It's not fair!" she whimpered.

Anya gave the young witch a reassuring squeeze. "Don't worry kiddo. This year's gonna fly by and before you know it, we'll be seeing you off for your first year at Hogwarts. Trust me," she promised. Lily let out a sigh and nodded. Giving her a raspberry kiss on the cheek which got the little girl giggling, Anya set her back down on her feet and let her run back to her parents.

And before they knew it, Draco was standing on the platform with the rest of the adults and younger children as the Hogwarts Express began to make its departure, taking the students to the majestic school that was Hogwarts. "Do you think they'll be alright?" he heard Ginny ask as the train slowly faded from view.

Draco saw Harry's hand come down from waving and his fingers brushed against the faint scar on his forehead. "Yeah," the dark haired wizard replied. "They'll be just fine." Draco smiled and pulled his wife closer at that as they turned to head back home.

Things would be just fine from then on.

* * *

><p><em><strong>MMM: And that's it... All's well that ends well. Just to let you guys know, there will be two new pictures updated onto my account on if you want to see the older versions of the Golden Quartet and the Malfoy family.<strong>_

_**I'd just like to take this moment to thank every one of you for all your support while I was writing When Opposites Attract: all the kind reviews you posted and your patience between posts. It really means a lot to me that you'd do all this. I'd also like to thank Violet and Loki'sLittleEnchantress for their help especially. You two were wonderful and if it hadn't of been for you guys, I probably would have ended the story where it was at before I got your messages/reviews. And now, I leave the floor to the characters. Guys?**_

_**HP: I just want to thank you all for supporting the Harry Potter franchise. If it weren't for you guys, the fans, then we never would be where we are today. And I'd like to thank Nancy here for giving me another wonderful friend like Anya.**_

_**HW: I suppose Harry has more or less summed it up for all of us. Thank you all for everything you've done for us. It means so much to us all.**_

_**RW: Ditto.**_

_**AM: Anya Malfoy... Never thought that would happen, but I'm really glad it did. I'd like to thank every one- my friends, the fans, Nancy. Truthfully, I can't thank you guys enough for all this. To be a part of all of this, fanfiction or not, means so much that words cannot express how I truly feel.**_

_**DM: What can I say? After many difficult and hard times, I'm married to the woman I love, I have a beautiful family, and life is happy and safe once again. What more can a bloke ask for?**_

_**HP, HW, RW, & AM: AMEN!**_

_**MMM: Thank you again for everything, ladies and gentlemen.**_

_**Nancy (aka megamatchmaker)**_

_**PS: I'll add a small author's note at the end of this story when I begin posting the sequel. See ya!**_


	95. AN

_**MMM: Hello, everyone! Look who's back! :) First off, I'd like to wish everyone a Happy New Year. I know I'm a few days late, but you know the saying- "better late then never!"**_

_**So I've got some news! The first thing is that I've got a new laptop. Thank goodness! I've been saving up to get a new one and went shopping on Boxing Day. The Windows 8 program still needs some getting use to, but I'll live. **__**But along with the new laptop, I've been in a typing frenzy! Hell, just yesterday, I typed 5 chapters! Can you believe it? Do you know what that means?**_

_**SEQUEL IS BEING POSTED NOW! That's right, you heard me! The sequel to When Opposites Attract is here! Gosh, you don't know how long I've been trying to get this ready for you guys. Hopefully, it doesn't take 3 years to write it like the last one did. ;) Anyway, like I've said in a previous author's note, the sequel will be a bunch of one-shot moments between our lovely couple between the end of the final battle and the 19 year epilogue.**_

_**Looking forward to hear from you all!**_

_**Nancy (aka megamatchmaker)**_


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